The Runaway
by lokiyan
Summary: Sequel to one shot: Ritual. Blair's new life as a vampire in Louisiana didn't turn out as she imagined so she ran back to her hometown at the first opportunity. Like moth to a flame, it was impossible for Eric to stay away.
1. The Great Escape

A/N: This is new frontier for me – True Blood/Gossip Girl multi-chap fic. It's a sequel of sorts to my one-shot, Ritual. As it progresses, it should get more dialogue-driven than my other fics. I'm feeling pretty good about it and it shouldn't be ultra long. I hope you guys enjoy it! Any comments would be appreciated!

The Runaway

Chapter 1: The Great Escape

She was done being invisible. Playing second fiddle to yet another well endowed blonde may be enough for some, but Blair had enough of that even before Bon Temps and to watch yet another man look over her was not part of her plan. She knew when she'd lost. Abandonment was an old friend.

It's humiliating, really. Eric was her maker and she lost him to some..._human_. It was always Sookie-this, Sookie-that and she'd even caught them...

Nate and Serena all over again. Heightened expectations, disappointment, betrayal and this time, she didn't have a Chuck to turn to. She didn't have anyone but herself. For all eternity. How fucking depressing.

The worst part is, they'd kissed - her and Eric. She was sure of it. When she first woke and he touched her face and had his arm around her. It was... sweet. Probably the sweetest kiss she'd ever experienced. Then the next thing she knew, he was treating her like she was his child. She'd never felt so insulted.

Of course, she still retained her deceptively guileless good looks and when she sighed and pouted, a handsome young man, someone she would have been interested in during high school, came up to her seat in the midnight, northbound Acela. "You okay, beautiful?"

"Just a little lonely. A long way to New York."

"Well, why don't I keep you company?"

Blair smiled. Perhaps she'd get a meal out of this after all. Sure, she wasn't allowed to talk to strange men, but Eric can leave his rules for his little Sookie. It was time for this little birdie to fly.

***

"What do you mean, 'you lost her'?"

Eric was never leaving again. He went to solve one thing for 3 days with the mind-reader and he lost his fledgling due to his incompetent staff. In his frustration, his favorite chair had already become a casualty and it looked as though many would follow. "Eric, calm-" he was in front of Sookie Stackhouse before she could even finish her sentence. Bill knew enough to pull her away by the arm.

His glare lingered on her for a second before sweeping the room again. "Find her."

"We've looked everywhere. She's not here."

"Well, look again." He turned his back to them as they filed out, his hands flat on the bar. She was strong, certainly. And smart. But the idea of her wandering alone, recklessly feeding as many newborn were wont to do, having to find shelter in time. Or what if she decided to flee once and for all to find another... No, it would be too much. Too embarrassing, of course, since Eric was a sheriff and if he couldn't keep a leash on his... yes, that's what he told himself.

Or maybe someone took her. He clenched his fists at his sides. If anyone was that foolish, he'll rip the bastard to pieces.

He retreated to her room. It's small, and he was certain she was accustomed to luxuries beyond that which Louisiana could provide, but she had insisted that the little room beside his was fine by her. The bed against the wall was neatly made, as she retained much of her human nature - especially the constant need for order, and he sat upon it, thinking of the nights when he laid in his coffin on the other side of the wall and touched the lining, imagining her face resting peacefully there, her smooth little hands cradling her cheek and her knees curled up...

He pressed his nose against her pillow, the scent of her shampoo seeped into the fibers and he could smell her everywhere. "I'll find you soon. Don't worry, I'll bring you home."

***

"Miss, may I have the pleasure of seeing you again?" Blair took his hand and stepped off the train. She walked toward the glow of the Grand Central main atrium with her dinner trailing behind her, holding the one bag she had packed with her. Glamoring did so come in handy. The clock struck nine and through the glass doors, she could see that the car she ordered had arrived.

"I'm afraid this is where our rendezvous ends, but we'll meet again if it's meant to be." She gave him her hand, which he brought to his lips for a kiss. "Now, be a dear and bring my bag to the car for me?"

New York was always changing, but constant. With the wind blowing in the opened windows against her face, all the lights still blurred together accompanied with car horns and the smell of roasted nuts.

And blood. It's everywhere and under her skin. The scent floated through her nerves and her eyes opened wide at the mix of people who were all for her. For a while, Eric was busy with Sookie and Bill, troubled, polite Bill, had taken her under his wing. She'd lived off of true blood then. She wasn't particularly strong and feeding was always a bit clumsy. True blood was a neat, easy alternative - even if it did taste like gasoline.

Or worse, house gin.

It was fine, though, when Bill warmed it up just right and brought it to her while she laid in bed with hunger pains like Dorota used to do. It kept her safe, Eric said. Because he didn't like it when she wandered around on her own. He liked being there when she live fed.

That's all over now though. She listened to him before but now... he'd turned away too many times for her to care. She went to Louisiana to change - to stop being that girl running after a boy who always had his back to her and before she knew it, she found herself doing the same thing. No - Blair Waldorf, especially as a vampire, followed no one. She wasn't as strong as Eric, but she can take care of herself just fine, thank you very much.

She was different but everything was the same. The doorman greeted her politely and offered to bring her bag up and she acknowledged him with a quick nod. Her hunger satisfied and the reunion with Dorota, clad in bunny slippers and robe, done with, Blair couldn't help but smile satisfactorily at herself. The window curtains had been converted to doors to block any light, just as she requested. She was pleased that Dorota was still as efficient as ever. Five a.m... she knew she'd have things to deal with later, but she was going to have a fine day's sleep in her old bed and silk nightie. It was so great to be her sometimes.

***

It was a rare occurrence when sleep evaded Eric. After a thousand years, a man learned to let troubles drift from the mind for rest. Yet here he was, in the middle of the day, tossing and turning in his coffin like an adolescent boy who couldn't get his bearings straight. For the lack of a better word, Eric was restless. He couldn't wait for the damned sun to set so he could start searching for her once again.

But where would he start?

Pam and the others searched nearly the entire area and came up with nothing. He knew his Blair - unlike Jessica, she wasn't reckless or impulsive. She was sly, that one, and smart. All that added with the resources her name afforded her, finding her seemed like a herculean task, but one that he had to tackle all the same.

And he'd find her, he just had to.

He rolled over again, frustrated at not being able to fall asleep when his hand crept under and hit cold metal. He felt around it with his fingers - around the tiny ring of metal to the stone attached to it. It was Blair's ruby ring.

And then he knew - she had gone home to New York.


	2. Hot Mess

A/N: Thank you guys so much for your encouragement and support in this strange little experiment! It really means a lot. I hope you guys continue reading!

The Runaway

Chapter 2: Hot Mess

Blair was in an awful mood. How was a young, independent, beautiful vampire supposed to get any rest with all the ruckus going on in her living room? She turned to her bedside table: 7:00 pm. Really? She couldn't just sleep in for once? Even in her own home?

With a scowl, she threw the blankets off her body and got dressed as well as she could - all the clothes in her closet were seasons past their prime, obviously. Only when she thought she looked presentable for a person of her stature did she slowly descend the stairs, her three inch heels clacking against the marble stairs. "Dorota, I thought this was the Upper East Side, not a Brooklyn rave-" At the silence that followed her entrance, she finally looked at the trio that had gathered in her living room. "Oh, hello."

It would have been quite an ungraceful fall if she didn't have her supernatural strength to hold up both herself and the blond glamazon who decided it would be a good idea to throw herself at the much shorter brunette. "Oh, B! I'm so glad you're home safe!"

She patted her back and wondered inwardly: how long did it take them to notice she was gone?

"Um, thanks S... I left a note - did you guys not find it?"

"We were still worried, B. You totally fell off the radar. Not even Chuck's PIs could find you." Nate, who, to Blair's delight, seemed to have gained a few pounds in her absence, finally came in and disentangled the two girls and squeezed her shoulder like a patronizing older brother.

Which was kind of gross, really, considering the stuff they'd done in high school.

"Well, it worked so well for Serena and Chuck, I figured I had to give it a go. You should try it, Nate. It's a real... life-changer."

"Point proven, Waldorf. And I'm thoroughly impressed. Now, are you ready to get back to reality?" There it was - that low murmur that had once drawn her in so deep that she could hardly find her way out. She looked at him and remembered why she fell for him all over again. Having been surrounded by beautiful vampires, the sight of Chuck Bass in a tailored pin-stripe suit and purple dress shirt, his hair neatly combed back, that smirk neatly in place - oh that smirk - still elicited fantasies of Breakfast at Tiffany's and Gone with the Wind. "I've already called the dean of admission at NYU-"

She shook herself out of it. "I'm afraid I'm not quite ready for reality just yet, Charles." Because that wasn't her reality anymore. Never again.

She wanted to laugh as the three of them looked at each other in awkward silence. It was Serena who finally approached her quietly. "B, you've been gone for two years. None of us know what you've been doing but you need to get your life back on track. It's for your own good."

Blair wanted to laugh. Here was Serena van der Woodsen, of all people, lecturing her on responsibility. It was a sweet, she supposed, if not misguided effort. Maybe things had changed around here. "Don't worry S." She gave the blonde a kiss on the cheek - had her perfume always smelled that good? "I've got everything covered. Now," she turned to the boys, an alluring smile on her face. "What do you guys say about throwing me a welcome back party?"

"What did you have in mind, Waldorf?"

"What else? Victrola, of course." And she walked toward the elevator, her hips swaying all the while. She felt them follow - just as things should be.

***

"Son of a bitch." She had hardly been gone for two days and she was already making it to that stupid blog she showed him when they first met. There she was arriving at New York's Grand Central (the station had seen better days, in his opinion), apparently with some boy she must have met on her way up. And now, apparently, she was at some club.

Victrola.

Not bad - it was no Fangtasia, for sure. According to the vapid writer of that privacy-invasive atrocity, his girl was accompanied by her old crew and by the looks of it, having more fun than was safe. He did have to admit though - she looked stunning. Her hair, down in dark waves, was lit in red and blue light and it flew about her as she danced. Oh, how she danced. "Oh, nice shoes," Pam said as she walked by behind his back and looked over his shoulder.

He rolled his eyes - of course that's where her priorities were. "Pam, take care of the bar. I have to head up to New York for a few days." It would take a few days, whether she was cooperative or not. He brought his eyes back to the picture and looked at the men in the background - watching, wanting. Perhaps one of them would be lucky enough to get a little nip from her. At the thought, he let out a growl and shut his laptop.

"Pick me up a little something?"

"As always."

He almost made it out the door, but damn if that Sookie Stackhouse didn't just appear everywhere. "Where're ya goin'?"

"New York. I have to go get something that's mine."

***

"Oh my god, B, that is soooooooo amazing!" Serena was seriously trashed. Trashed enough to not notice that Blair had been not drinking her martini for the past two hours. The elongated 'so' was also a great clue. "Now I want to go to the south!"

She was resting her feet on one of the lounges and the way her body natural leaned toward Serena's felt so natural and reminiscent that she almost forgot what she was. Of course, that was impossible with the stench of sweat and the sound of blood all around her. It was probably for the best.

"Did I just hear you say that you wanted to go to the south, sis?" The Bass came out from lurking in the shadows and sat on the other side of her. Yet another familiar thing she should ignore.

"Yes! Blair was telling me about all these people she met - hot Eric, ditz Sookie, boring Bill, and- and that funny chick-"

"Pam," she supplied, faking a sip of her martini.

"Pam!" Serena exclaimed with a clap of her hands. She swayed toward Blair and she felt her heated face near her mouth. "Oh, I love Pam!"

"Don't we all." It was unnerving the way Chuck kept his eyes on her, not wavering for one moment. "Hey sis, why don't you keep Nate company on the dance floor? He looks tired of the girls crowding him." Blair looked over and, as usual, Nate had girls practically drooling over him. She wouldn't mind taking one off his hands for a little snack...

"Nooooo! I want to hang out with my best friend!" Serena hung onto her arm tightly, the side of her face pressed tightly to her shoulder. If it had been anyone else, Blair would have probably shoved her away. Hard. But it was Serena, dear, sweet Serena and instead of being annoyed, she felt a warmth spread over her the likes of which she hadn't felt in a long time. It also helped that she was dreading this conversation that Chuck was obviously eager to have. She sighed. She supposed she would just have to get it over with, or else it would plague her for the rest of her vacation.

"Look, S! It's Humphrey! Go get him and we can all drink together!"

"Oh my god, B! You still have the best ideas! Oh my god..." And she wandered off as she always would when Dan Humphrey was involved. Siblings or not, those two just couldn't stay away from each other.

"Nicely done. Glad to see you haven't lost your touch. I wonder..."

'Well, don't." She shoved the hand off her knee. "I didn't come back for you, Chuck. Just like you never came back for me."

He sighed and she noticed for the first time. He had aged since she left. Two years and he seemed a decade older. He just looked... tired. "Blair, I didn't know-"

"How could you not? I called you ten times a day, begging for you to come home like some pathetic housewife while you were probably screwing every hooker in Paris-"

"-I would never cheat-"

"-and even after everything, _everything_, you still didn't come back! Our relationship was not something you could put on the back burner, Chuck. At least I thought we weren't." It was probably the first time she had ever seen him without a comeback - an excuse. "You know, I'm almost disappointed that I left." He looked up at her, so hopeful that it made Blair's frozen heart ache. "Because I would have given anything to see the look on your face when you came back and found me gone."

She left him there, the damned butterflies fluttering around in her stomach and tears stinging her eyes. That was not the way that was supposed to go. She was supposed to stay calm and cool - just like Eric would have - and throw him out of her life. Instead, he somehow managed to crawl his way back in.

She caught the eye of a young man at the bar, smiling smugly at her and her teeth began to ache.

Dinner time.

***

_Spotted: Our recently returned Queen B locking lips with -_

The photos said more than enough to make Eric sick. He didn't need to associate a name with it too. He could tell the man was just food and that Blair was using her natural charms to lure him back to her make-shift lair for a snack, but it didn't mean he had to like the way she was doing it. The very opposite, in fact. He didn't like the way she held the guy's hand while he practically shoved his tongue down her pretty white throat. The same one that he had sank his teeth into when he made her his. He certainly didn't like the way his fingers trailed along her exposed knee.

What was the girl wearing?

"Well, she looks like she's adjusting just fine on her own."

Eric really hated how he couldn't shake those two if he tried. Bill and Sookie sat across from him in the train car until she became nosy enough to pry on his side. She used the excuse that they're friends, even if the world knew that Blair couldn't stand Sookie, and Bill followed her around like a good little lap dog.

He turned his eyes back to his girl there on the screen. He really hoped she wouldn't do anything stupid.

And, perhaps, he'll rip off a limb or two once he got into the city.

***

"This way." She grabbed his hand and led him to the back alley through which she and Chuck had duck out many a times. She let out an insipid giggle until they rounded the corner and she had him against the wall, right where she wanted him. "So, you said you liked me, huh?" she asked, pushing his hair out of his face. He had his hands on her waist and ducked in for a kiss. "You think I'm pretty?"

"So much." Good answer, she thought. There was really no appetizer better than a compliment. As a reward, she drew her fangs and brushed the broad of it against his warm, pulsing neck. She laved it with her tongue and felt him weaken at the knees. This was too easy.

She angled her own neck just so, the glamor already in place to silence him like a paralyzing poison, and opened her mouth wide to bite. Embarrassingly enough, it took her a few tries - and this was why Eric preferred to accompany her on her hunts. While small mouths and pouty lips were valued as a mark of beauty in some cultures, it became awfully inconvenient for a vampire to grip onto its prey and with Blair's unnaturally shorter fangs, it always did take her a few tries to hit the vein. Often, Eric would choose a smaller female for her and lure the victim for her, as their skin tend to be softer and the neck thinner. On the occasion when she wanted a treat, he would wait until her fangs stuck into the man's neck before letting go. Like a proud teacher, he would give her a quick pat on her head.

And he did teach her well. For instance, she knew exactly when to stop feeding to keep her food alive.

She let go of him, his eyes still dazed and his stupid smile in place, she patted him softly on the cheek. "Good boy," she said and hid his wound. "Now get back in there and drink plenty of liquids, okay? Doctor's orders." She watched him stumble back into the club, her blood lust satisfied and her eyes hooded with pride. There went her first hunt in New York. She wasn't too bad at this, she decided. Discreet, calm, and the style points-

_Crash_

She heard the garbage cans knock over and the heavy breathing to her side. Maybe she wasn't as good at this as she thought. She rolled her eyes in that direction and bared her fangs, ready to attack and mess with the unfortunate witness to her being. But then, she recognized that stench and that stutter and she had to curse how small this island was. "Humphrey?"


	3. Things Have Changed

A/N: You guys are so awesome and are giving me so many ideas in your reviews! I'm thinking about adding someone else in here, but we'll see.

The Runaway

Chapter 3: Things Have Changed

Getting Humphrey back to her apartment discreetly turned out to be more difficult than she thought, but she managed well enough. All the while, however, she wanted to slap him every time he uttered a stunned "uh..."

But now they were in the comfort of her room at three in the morning. She had a few hours to do damage control. "All right, Humphrey. What did you see?"

He just stared at her in shock - the poor guy was stunned. She did just literally drag him back to her place like Hulk on speed. "Uh... I'm not sure exactly." He watched her carefully, not quite knowing what was going on, but smart enough to be aware of the fact that Blair Waldorf was more dangerous than she had ever been. He did get into Yale with his grades, after all. "Did I just... I mean, at first... I guess what I'm-"

"Spit it out, Humphrey. I don't have all night."

"Did you just eat someone?"

"Ew, no. We don't do that unless you really piss us off. Even then, it just gets messy and blood would get in my hair." She shuddered at the time this one guy tried to take silver to her and Eric... well, he didn't take it very well. She fiddled with the ends of her curls. "But you're close enough." She bared her fangs at him and he was transfixed for a full minute...

... and then he began to laugh.

She hissed and was in front of him in a millisecond. "What's so funny, Humphrey? Do you not believe in things that go bump in the night? Should I take a little nip?"

He settled down at that. "Okay, okay. I'm sorry. It's just... for a vampire, even a Twilight vampire, you have very small fangs. I mean, at first I thought you were humping the guy when you were trying to um..." She flushed red at that and it was even more apparent against her pale skin. It was a sensitive subject, really. The fact that her fangs were only a tad longer than regular human canine teeth made Eric laugh and rub her head, and that blond bimbo Sookie called her "cute." "I'm... ahem... I'm sure they're very effective." It didn't help the matter that Humphrey saw her struggle with that man in the alley.

"You know, I could screw with your memory, Humphrey. Or better yet, I could just kill you."

He looked at her then, with his judgmental Brooklyn brown eyes. Oh there's a thing such as Brooklyn brown. It's the color of sh- "You wouldn't kill me."

"Don't bet on it. I'm not the girl I used to be. Hell, even if I were, I would still kill you."

"If you were going to kill me, you would have done it already. And I saw the way you were with Serena at Victrola." He looked at her a little longer, as though he were measuring her up. She always hated that look. "You miss this place. You miss New York." She just glared at him, hating the fact that he may have pointed out one correct thing about her. "Look, we can talk about this tomorrow. Isn't the sun going to rise or something?"

"And what are you going to do? How do I know you won't go around telling everyone? Or that you won't chop my head off the minute I close my eyes?"

"Waldorf, it's me. I'll be back when the sun sets already." He turned to go and she could hardly believe that she was letting him walk out that door, but he was as close to Honest Abe as anyone so... "Oh, by the way," he turned from the door. "Do you need me to tuck you in, baby vamp?" She growled back from her place on the bed and he got the hint.

***

"No crazy vampire sightings so far in New York. That's a good sign, right?"

Eric glared at the girl until she looked back down at the laptop screen. Why were they stopping?

"Blair knows how to cover her tracks. We just have to go and bring her home before she gets into any trouble."

The sheriff finally rolled his head fully in their direction. "Would it kill the two of you to shut up? Or should I do the killing?" He banged the back of his head slightly against the wall again. He wished this train would get moving already. He missed intelligent company.

***

"What the hell is this?" She woke to find a gathering by her bedside. Too bad she died over a year ago. "Am I going to always wake up to a crowd of people in my territory?"

"B, a-are you okay?" Serena sat on her bed, her hand shaking as she reached out to touch her. "I-I know you won't hurt me, B."

At that, Blair looked at Humphrey standing in the back. "You told them?"

"What the hell was I supposed to do?" he whispered and did that annoying shrug thing he used to do in high school. "Trust me, it was an awkward conversation."

She could feel them all now - Nate, Chuck, Serena, Humphrey - all looking at her like she's some lost lamb. Didn't they know that they were the weak ones? That she could drain all of them if she wanted to? "You know, this is why you didn't have any friends in high school, Humphrey. What's next, you going to post it up on Gossip Girl?"

"Blair, he was just trying to help." Nate always did stick up for the Brooklynite.

She sighed and got out of bed, cranky, tired, and a little hungry. "Well, now you know. And now I have to make all of you forget. Thanks for making the extra work." She brought up her hand to wipe their memory, only to have it grasped tightly by her former best friend.

"We won't say anything, Blair. We just want to be there for you."

She laughed bitterly. Was Serena still this delusional? "S, this isn't just a social misstep, okay? It's not like I got pregnant or someone broke up with me or I moved to Jersey. I'm a vampire. You're food. You can't just be there for me and you can't know that I exist so-"

"Show us."

"What?" She whipped her head around to face Chuck. Chuck, whose pulse raced the most around her. Chuck, who could relate better than any of them.

"Show us."

It would scare them away, probably for their own good, so she showed them. Her little fangs sticking over from her plump bottom lip just enough to be inhuman. "Satisfied?" She watched his throat, his adam's apple bobbed for a quick second and she imagined what it would be like if she just... "Now get out. I'm cranky and hungry. I have to go hunt."

"H-have you ever killed anyone?" Serena asked, her blue eyes looking at her from behind her lashes.

And she just couldn't - she could never - lie to those blue eyes. "No."

The blonde nodded silently, somber as she rarely was, before meeting her eyes again with a nod. She brushed her long, golden mane to one side and tilted her head to expose one long, tanned neck with a strong vein coursing deliciously through-

"What the hell do you think you're doing? This isn't virgin sacrifice hour and you haven't been a virgin for a long while, S."

"I trust that you won't hurt me and I want to help you."

"Are you drunk already?"

"Serena, that's crazy." Humphrey was at least good for the voice of reason.

"Look, it's not like I would do this for just anyone, or any vampire, okay? But I just got my best friend back and if this is what I have to do to keep you from running off again, then I'll do it! Besides, it's much easier and safer to feed on me than it is to go out there and risk being exposed." There was a moment of silence as Serena went back to her pose, her eyes closed, fear and trust at her fingertips.

"Me too." Nate unbuttoned the collar to his polo and Chuck followed suit.

"I actually think it's kind of hot."

Her jaw slackened. What was happening? This was like a very sick and twisted version of "Oh Captain My Captain" and even Blair, who knew how to react to every social situation, had no idea what to do.

"Would it make me look like a real asshole if I'm not up for letting Blair Waldorf suck my blood?"

She watched Serena step forward, arms out and ready for an embrace, and felt her warmth engulf her and burn her to the core. Was this the world she left behind? The world she thought had left her behind? This was the world she had forsaken to become immortal.

Oh what had she done?

"I can't," she whispered, touched. She thought being a vampire was supposed to make her stronger. "I don't want to hurt you." All the while, their blood called out to her. Singing, even.

"With those baby teeth? You wouldn't." With their hands still clasped, Serena led Blair back to the bed and pulled her down with her. "Now, breakfast is served."

Blair looked down at the blond hair sprawled on her bed like it used to at slumber parties and soirees. Her best friend and she couldn't deny how appetizing she looked. She leaned down slowly, giving her ample time to back out, and grazed her teeth against the skin of her neck. Serena was still wearing her own mix of oils and it was intoxicating. Only now would she notice.

And she tasted _good_**. **Intoxicating. Better than anyone she had tasted before and her body was warm and soft beneath her. She finally understood the attraction that all men held for Serena van der Woodsen. She licked the wound when she was done, sure that she had left enough for the girl to just feel a tiny bit faint. "You sure you've had enough?" the blonde mumbled. She nodded against her neck, sated and confused. What was happening?

"You're right. That definitely was pretty hot."

"Shut up, Nate," she mumbled, before rolling off her friend. "Now I'm full."

"Too bad. I was going to call dibs next." She and Chuck exchanged a smirk and just for one second, things felt like they always were. Like she was in high school again, surrounded by people she loved. She missed that feeling. Eric's face appeared in her mind for one fleeting moment, but she blurred it out as she told them about her travels, her companions, and her transformation. It was like she was talking about someone else.

She wished she was talking about someone else.

***

She forgot how great it was to laugh.

Eric used to make her laugh - when he could spare her a minute of the day. But then he saw her less and less, and Pam would only recycle the same jokes. Eternity looked bleak. But here were the people she was supposed to grow old with sitting in a circle on the floor of her childhood bedroom and she was laughing with them - at how awkward Humphrey is, or how perverted Chuck is. Nate's cluelessness and Serena's naive optimism. It was the second day since they found out and they still stuck by her. Why couldn't they have done this two years ago?

She was here now, though, and that's what mattered. And they would keep her safe. With the Bass fortune and the Vanderbilt pull, there was hardly anything they couldn't do.

"-so then I realized that she's this big movie star! And Nate, here decided it would be a good idea to keep me in the dark-"

"-you guys keep me in the dark all the time!"

"-and this is the best part-"

She felt him before he entered the room, but he was faster than she would ever be. "Aw, did I miss story time?"

There he was, leaning against the doorframe with his arrogant smirk, his leather jacket and that hair. That fucking Draco Malfoy hair. "Eric."

"Hey, sweetheart."

She could see his cold anger in his eyes. She was in trouble.


	4. Hello Goodbye

A/N: Thanks for the feedback, guys! Here's a little pre-Halloween treat! Hope everyone has a nice, safe holiday :).

The Runaway

Chapter 4: Hello Goodbye

She rose slowly to her feet and her friends followed suit, wary of the intruder. Eric had always exuded power, even if his beauty was not to everyone's taste. "How did you find me?"

"I already told you, Blair. Louisiana got both electricity and internet a long time ago."

Serena came up behind her and grasped her hand, warm and comforting. "Blair, is this-"

"This is Eric." Her trembling bottom lip made it difficult to talk. It shouldn't be like this. How did he-

He was in front of them before she even had time to blink her eyes, Serena's free hand in his and brought to his lips. "Her maker. And you, lovely, are..."

"Serena. Serena van der Woodsen."

"Ah, that's quite a beautiful name. Just rolls off the tongue. Serena van der Woodsen," he replied, her name like a caress in the softness of his voice. "Blair has told me much about you. Right, Blair?" He turned his gaze back to her and she felt like that newborn vampire again. Lost, frightened.

Obedient.

She shook it all off. She was Blair Waldorf. In New York. The world couldn't touch her. "What are you doing here, Eric?"

He strolled toward her, his boots heavy on her carpeted floor. His hand brushed her cheek and cupped the side of her face, his fingertips just touching her hair. "I'm here to bring you home, of course." He was gentle, as he always was with her, and kissed her on her forehead. Even through the gesture though, she could feel his ire and was paralyzed by it.

"She _is_ home." Nate always believed himself to be the righteous prince, but he never had the armor. Still, it didn't stop him from running his mouth.

What did stop him were the fangs Eric flashed at him.

And, in turn, what stopped Eric were Blair's small hands on his arm, her soft voice in his ear. "I want to stay."

He retracted his fangs and just then, she was his baby again. His little beauty who needed him with that low whine and big, watery eyes with that peachy, mesmerizing pout. He cupped her chin with one hand and caught her eyes with his watery blues. "You know you can't, babe. I'm sorry."

"Just for a little while longer?"

"I can't protect you here. I have no authority-"

"We can protect her." Chuck stepped forward, nudging a stricken Nate. "I own entire blocks of this city. We can protect her."

"Yea." Nate broke out of his reverie. "My family can-"

"Oh please, _human_. You can hardly protect yourself from her if she chooses to hurt you."

"But I wouldn't-"

"You can't stay here." It hurt. It hurt like hell that she so despised the idea of leaving with him. What was so great about these little dirt monkeys she hung around with in this city? The streets smelled like rotten garbage and urine and the relationships, like their people, were so fluid that nothing lasted.

The two of them? They were forever.

"Come on, let's go." He led her gently by her wrists, tiny and delicate in his hands. He could snap her neck if she wanted to - all their necks, really - and she knew as much.

But still, the caged bird fought.

She twisted her hands away from him and backed up until she collided with Chuck and Nate beside a stunned Serena and a silent Dan. "I said, I'm not going with you."

"Don't make me ask twice, Blair."

"I can take care of myself." She shrunk back into the comfort of her friends - the very antithesis of her words.

And he was in front of her, had thrown her over his shoulder and made it back to the doorway of her room before the rest of them even took a breath. "This is for your own good," he said softly in response to the small fists pounding on his back. "Gentlemen, lady."

"Blair!" The boys held Serena back as she reached for her best friend and Blair only sighed when she saw that fighting was useless. She caught Chuck's eye for a moment and said what she couldn't say before.

_Goodbye_.

***

"How did it g- oh." Sookie set down the cup of tea that Dorota had brought her and stood from the plush couch on which she'd been resting her back. All those hours of traveling on the stiff train interior was not good for any human's back.

"You brought _her_?" Blair's muffled voice came through and Sookie flushed red - it was no secret that Blair wasn't exactly fond of her. Neither of them ever really saw eye-to-eye, but Sookie forgave her. She was just a little girl with a crush.

It didn't stop her from being positively everywhere though. "You put her down this instant, Eric." He barely spared her a glance as he passed the foyer and headed toward the elevator.

"Ms. Blair!"

"Dorota!" Seeing the maid, the woman who had been with her through her entire human life, seemed to have put some fight back into her. She grasped at the woman running toward them, kicking and reaching for the one who had always been there for her to lavish her with attention.

"That is no way to treat lady, Mister. Please put her down now." Even now, with a broom waving wildly in her hand, she retained her manners.

"Yes, Eric, put me down, I can walk." The thundering footsteps came from the stairs and suddenly, it felt like the entire world was against him. Yelling and clutching at every bit of him until he tore to pieces.

It felt familiar.

But even her? His own offspring?

"Enough!" He turned her forward so he could cradle her small body to his and see her face, that beautiful, perfect face that he could hardly ever stay angry at. "If I put you down, will you promise to behave?"

"I don't have much of a choice, do I?" His girl was smart. He placed her on her feet, but kept a hand at the small of her back.

"Say goodbye to your friends, Blair."

She bit her lip and walked toward them, defeated, and fell into Serena's embrace. "I'll miss you." Each got a hug - even Humphrey and a shaking Dorota who wanted to go with Ms. Blair.

And Chuck simply wouldn't let go.

Her face was pressed against his shoulder, his nose buried against her neck as his arms remained tight around her. "I'm sorry I left you alone before, but stay. Stay and I promise-"

"I can't," she whispered and her arms fell to her side. He grasped her forearms and held her at arms length. A hand came up to cup her cheek softly.

"I don't care what this guy says, I can protect you. I'll hire the best bodyguards, build you a castle with a fucking moat if that's what it takes. Whatever you want, okay? Just don't leave again. Don't leave where we can't find you." It was the softest kiss she had ever received from him. He just landed like a snowflake and melted into her memory.

Her eyes were closed even as Eric dragged her toward the elevator again with a flexed jaw just holding himself back. "Oh, but that was so sweet." He was tempted to leave Bill and Sookie here.

But like he said, he could never quite shake those two.

***

The station buzzed with weary travelers waiting to board a red-eye track. Random silhouettes against the walls of the large, echoing hall and they sat in the middle. Sookie uncrossed and crossed her legs again, her eyes glued to the crouched back of the brunette girl practically radiating desperation.

"Don't worry. Eric's just upset because you left without sayin' anythin'. I'm sure if you ask nicely in a few weeks-"

"You are not talking to me right now." Blair buried her face in her hands, the joy and energy from briefly rejoining her past life completely drained out of her. She had made a mistake two years ago and she never saw it so clearly as she did now.

Eric didn't love her. Not the way she wanted him to. No, she wasn't the delicate ray of sunshine he wanted. She wasn't _her_. Was this how she was going to spend all of eternity? Chasing after men she couldn't have and covering her face from the ones he wanted? And now, she lost New York.

_New York_. The city she lived and breathed was out of reach for her now. She couldn't stand in front of Tiffany's with her croissant and coffee or scowl at bike messengers that clip her dress just so to make the hem fly up in the air. She couldn't turn on the front steps of Constance and look for Nate smiling at her from the other side of the courtyard or watch out for Chuck's limo after stepping out of a church.

She would even settle for living in Brooklyn right about now.

"I'll go see what's taking Eric so long. The two of you stay here. Don't talk to anyone. Blair, I would advise against running." She scowled again at Bill before watching him approach one of the counters, wishing desperately that he would have taken Sookie with him.

"Don't say anything. We're just going to sit here in silence while I enjoy my last few moments here. At home. Where I belong." She cringed at the thought of returning to Louisiana. Sure, they people were nice enough, but they were almost _too _nice. It was like being surrounded by a thousand Serenas and she felt more evil and manipulative than ever. That's what attracted her to Eric in the first place. He was different - cunning, smart, powerful.

It's why he was worthy to be her maker. She could smell the power on him.

"You know, when I was tracking down the vampire feeding in my new territory, I wasn't expecting to find a beautiful young lady."

He was stunning - a nearly perfect cross between Chuck's dark handsome features and Nate's chiseled jawline and bright blue eyes. Unlike either of them, though, he carried an air of nonchalance in his stance - the way he kept his hands in the pockets of his leather jacket, his feet casually apart and the wry smile playing at his lips. He was intimidatingly beautiful.

"Damon Salvatore, pleased to make your acquaintance." He brought her hand to his lips and lingered. There was nothing soft about him.

She cleared her throat, never one to be intimidated. She was still in New York, after all, and here, she was queen. "Blair Waldorf." She felt Sookie tug nervously at her sleeve. As she should. It was about time that she remembered her place.

"Blair Waldorf." She looked up at him from her seat, at his lazy smile revealing a hint of teeth and the eyes that strayed to her lips. "You don't look like you want to be here, Blair Waldorf."

"You don't know anything about me."

"I know that you have good taste in clothes." He looked over and spared Sookie a glance. "And bad taste in company."

"I suggest you leave us alone." Sookie was red with anger and embarrassment, but she could see how enchanting the boy could be for a girl like Blair. "Her maker is right over there and I dare say he is a million times more powerful than you. He's a sheriff."

"This ain't no small town, doll. We don't play by rules." He turned his attention back to Blair. "When you're sick of your babysitters and you're ready for some real fun, give me a call."

"How-"

"I'll know." And he was gone, leaving only the trail of his promises lingering behind him. Promises that she could stay here with her friends. Forever.

_Damon Salvatore_. Her heart leaped at the thought of his name. Perhaps she may be a little fickle, but she did have all of eternity to keep herself busy.


	5. Come a Little Closer

A/N: It was inevitable, kids, that this story would change to an NC-17/R rating. Sorry if this alienates anyone. I hope y'all hang on with me on this! Also, I'm so pleased with the positive response I've been getting about Damon. Indeed, he is around to shake things up :).

A/N#2: Also, I'd just like to give a special shout outz to my peeps who review without signing in so I could never reply to them. Thanks so much for your support, guys!

The Runaway

Chapter 5: Come a Little Closer

"Who the hell was that?"

Bill and Eric walked back over with the purpose of two FBI agents, their footsteps heavy on the marble floor. She shrugged and kicked the loudmouth before she said anything. "Well?"

"Nobody." The blonde seemed to have gotten her message. "But I think we should leave now."

"I wish we could." Eric ran a hand down his face, exhausted.

"Apparently all the remaining seats were bought out by a Mr. Chuck Bass for the next week." Bill wanted to laugh. _Finally _someone bested Eric Northman. He needed to be knocked down a peg or two and to be honest, he always had a soft spot for the rich little girl who stumbled into Louisiana. Even Eric had to smile at the way her face lit up at the prospect of staying another week.

"We could always rent a car. I'm guessing the little bastard didn't buy up the entire automotive industry."

"Oh, but can't we stay? Just for a week? I'll have Dorota make up the guest rooms and-"

"No." He took her hand and she stood, leaning against him all the while. "First, we're going to get some blood in you. Then we're finding a hotel. I'll give you this little vacation, but I don't want you getting used to the idea that this is home for you. It isn't anymore."

It was a small victory, but Blair would take what she could get. She nodded and followed him out the door into the night. She leaned her head back, her eyes sweeping behind her in search of the stranger.

No stranger - _Damon_.

She had a feeling they would meet again soon.

***

"Tell me the truth." Shirtless Eric was a sight to behold. He was the stuff romance novel covers and Fabio were made of. The curtains were drawn and in the dim bedside table light, he nearly looked harmless.

Famous last words.

"You're going to have to be more specific, Eric. You know lying is my favorite hobby."

She crawled into the space beside him, her white cotton night gown blended perfectly with the low thread count hotel sheets. He reached out and turned off the light before wrapping an arm around her waist. She went willingly to him and settled against his chest. "Not to me. You don't lie to me." His voice was soft and he kissed her on the forehead. She could almost imagine that they were married. "Now tell me who that man was."

"What man?" She feigned ignorance, her eyelids heavy with sleep. "Can't we talk about this later?"

"The man at the station and no." He gripped her hand hard to enough for his nails to draw blood. "I can smell him on you." He bared his fangs when he brought her wrist to his face, the smell of her blood arousing him as it always did. "Now tell me what that vampire wanted."

Blair swallowed the tension she felt from his eyes bearing hard into hers. Eric rarely reacted with the calm fury he was displaying now. She chose her words carefully. "I don't know. He just introduced himself."

"What else? What was his name?" She was entranced by the way the flat of his tongue felt rough as he licked at the dark red trail against her pale skin. She felt all the resistance drain out of her and licked her lips at the sight of his eyes on her.

"He just told me to call him if I wanted to get away. He said his name was Damon Salvatore."

He turned her so that her back was against him, an arm curled across her neck so that the white flesh of his forearm was just within reach. He pressed his lips against the back of her neck and nodded his permission. She sunk her small teeth in and took a bite and a lick. He shuddered against her and she sighed as she felt his life course through her veins. "You won't though, will you? You belong to me. You can't leave me. I won't let you."

He turned her back around, his mouth open against hers, his tongue running along the ridges of her teeth as he breathed her in. It was the moment Eric feared loss. He held her in his arms but it wasn't quite enough. It was never enough. If that Damon ever even attempted to... he would rip him open with his bare hands and show him his own heart.

Her hands, like all of her, were small and soft against his chest and it made him feel his heart like he hadn't in a thousand years. It made him want to take her inside himself so that they will never part again. It wasn't like this before - no, he could leave for his assignments and know that she would be waiting when he returned. The seed of doubt, however, had been planted and for the first time, he realized she was her own vampire.

She could live without him.

But wasn't that what he always wanted? For each and every vampire to be able to take care of and defend himself? Wasn't that why he starved himself from her for so long, watching from the shadows even as she struggled for a grasp on her new reality?

In the end, it was probably better for her to not get too attached. At the moment, however, now that he had her all to himself again, he made a split-second decision to be selfish.

Her hair fanned out behind her and she was an angel who had fallen straight into his arms. Her scent thrilled him and when he pressed her against the bed, his grip strong on her bare thigh, he paused to smell her again, to brush her hair back from her face. Her chest rose to meet his before he buried himself in her and knew that he could never lose her to anyone else. She was the reward for his suffering and he would have her and keep her. Always.

He heard her gasp beneath him, her fangs bared and her legs wrapped tight around his waist. This was what a real woman felt like - warm and soft with a perfect contrast between light and dark in her features. He plunged into her again, his body covering her own petite frame entirely and she sighed, a butterfly landing of a sigh before she arched herself against him with her nails grasping at the skin at his back. He grabbed a hand and, on his tongue, tasted the slightest tinge of his own blood on the tip of her nails. Just enough for him to let go and collapse on top of her.

She let out a soft snore against him, her arms still around his waist and her forehead against his chest. He dragged the sheet up to cover them and closed his eyes. He would sleep well today.

***

It happened. The smile was stuck on her face when she first woke and she flushed red at the sensation of his body against hers. It _finally_ happened. If she had known that's all it took, she would have run away much sooner. She peeked over his shoulder - his strong, _broad _shoulders - to see the clock flash 4:00 pm in bright red. Even with the few hours of sleep, she felt restless as she looked at him, the lines of his face so familiar to her now that she could see him with her eyes closed.

She kissed him lightly on the cheek only to have him groan and bat her away in his sleep. She rolled her eyes - what a man move. Still, she found even that endearing. She clutched the blanket close to her chest before lowering herself again to nip lightly on his neck. "You hungry?" he murmured out, sleep heavy in his voice.

"No." She giggled, the first time in a long time she had done that in his presence and it went straight to his heart. His hand settled perfectly at the curve of her waist and pulled her close. "I just wanted to do it again."

His mouth cracked open in a grin at her direct response and he lifted her on top of him, her front covered in the long white sheet and her bare legs straddling him. He stroked her hip lightly, his thumb rubbing slow, lazy circles on the velvet skin. "You're beautiful."

She bent over to kiss him, feeling his fatigue and forgiving him just this once. "You're only realizing this now?" She nuzzled his nose and the ends of her hair tickled him before she sat upright again. "Go back to sleep. I'm going to the living room for a sec. I'm taking your computer with me." She tied the sheet around her under her arms, her hair still mussed and her lips swollen, and hopped off to the desk with a gentle smack on her pert little bottom from him. She kept one hand against her chest to hold up the sheet and tucked his mini laptop under her other arm before tip-toeing out and closing the door gently behind her to the small living room that joined their bedroom with that of Bill and Sookie.

In the few minutes before sleep overtook him once more, his mind was filled with that girl. The girl who was brought before him for sacrifice with her perfect, milky skin, tempting ruby lips and dark chocolate curls. The girl who clutched to him when she first woke up as his and nuzzled her nose against his own.

She was the best thing he had ever done.

***

"No, Dorota! Why do you want me to look like a heroin-chic, unemployed, self-proclaimed bohemian homeless Brooklyn hipster?" She whispered harshly into the headset she now donned in the single blue light from the computer screen in the living room. She watched through the monitor as the maid hastily returned a paisley silk tunic back to the rack, her white apron brushing against the next row of dresses. "Now, at two o'clock, there is a red/brown duo-tone, fitted sheath dress. What kind of fabric is it?"

She saw through the lens placed in the middle of Dorota's sunglasses that the fabric was retained a floral pattern from threads a shade darker than the fabric. "Is feel of cotillion dress, Ms. Blair." Blair watched as Dorota's hands smoothed over the dress reverently.

"Ugh, who in their right mind would make red and brown brocade? Go ahead to Marc Jacobs next door, Dorota. There's nothing for us here." As she watched her walk through the glass doors to the next destination, Blair clicked over to the other window she had open. Bloomingdale's. Dorota needed a new jacket. What size was she again?

As she input her credit card information, she heard a man's voice stop her. "I hope you're not cheating on Vanya, Dorota," she said casually in a sing-song voice. "You don't want it to get around the servants' rumor mill."

"Actually, Ms. Waldorf - Blair, do you mind if I call you Blair? - I was looking for you." It was that voice - that arrogant, self-assured intonation that made Blair snap her attention back to the live-stream camera, Dorota's present temporarily forgotten.

"It's you."

He grinned and the corners of his bright blue eyes crinkled beautifully. "I'm pleased that you remember me. And surprised that your guard dogs haven't come to your rescue yet."

Then she noticed - the way the sun reflected off the shine of his black hair and cast a shadow under his chiseled jaw. "But how-?"

"Am I not bursting into flames? Special ring - it's a long story. I'm a bad example - don't step into the sun for my sake. And as far as hearing you through those headphones - well, you know how sensitive our ears are. I guess that explanation is mostly for dear Dorota's benefit."

"I shouldn't be talking to you." Her eyes flitted to the door of the bedroom she shared with Eric and bit down on her bottom lip. "Let's go, Dorota." She watched the maid scurry away from the stranger but could still feel the goosebumps on her skin from that surprise meeting. Something told her that it wasn't a surprise for him at all.

"I'll see you soon, Blair. As charming as Dorota is, the proxy thing doesn't do it for me."

When Dorota turned her head, his blue eyes were looking straight at her and, much to her dismay, the blush crept up her neck and blossomed on her cheeks. She was going to have to watch out for this one.


	6. Criminal

A/N: Sorry for the delay. I've been sick (AKA, sleeping waaaay too much for my own good). I hope you guys enjoy this chapter anyway!

The Runaway

Chapter 6: Criminal

"So what are we doin' tonight?" Sookie asked right before she shoved a spoonful of Chinese takeout into her mouth. "I've never been to New York before." She smiled at Bill like a little girl playing house and Blair nearly choked on her Tru Blood.

Instead, the brunette resigned to sighing and rolling her eyes. Tourists. "_We _are not doing anything. _I_, on the other hand, have to pick up a few things from Dorota at the penthouse."

"A few things? I guess I should bring a cart to help carry the spoils of your little virtual shopping trip today. I hope you got something for Pam." Her face went white. Did Eric hear her brief interlude with Damon from late afternoon? What if he managed to seek him out? "Relax, I'm sure Pam won't be too upset. She might steal your clothes though."

She let out a nervous laugh. "Oh I didn't get too much. I'll be fine on my own."

Eric narrowed his eyes. There was something... off about her tonight. Her shoulders were squared tense and she avoided his eyes. And there she went with the "on her own" again. Didn't she know that didn't exist anymore? He didn't appreciate being shoved aside. "I insist," he bit out. His tone let the rest of them on to the fact that this was not up for discussion.

"Well, I think we should go to Times Square. You know, see the lights."

Blair shot off like the gunfire of a fugitive backed into a corner. "Sookie, Times Square is for tourists who don't know better and Eric, you can't come because Dorota doesn't like you."

"Everyone likes me."

Bill snickered and Blair sent him an appreciative glance. The two, at the very least, had an understanding and having coexisted peacefully for the past two years, formed a camaraderie between them. She hated being alone.

Besides, Eric hated it.

"You went caveman and threw me over your shoulder. Dorota hates you."

He cursed under his breath. "When I was a human, women were-" The rant sprouted off into old Swedish and Bill and Sookie took this as their sign to head out. Bill clapped her over the shoulder in moral support, but knew there was little he could do, and she patted his hand lightly in return.

He came to a pause to catch his breath, his pacing stopped as he turned to look at her. One day he'll get used to the fact that she had no idea what he was talking about when he did that. "If you're done being uber-Viking, I'll be heading out now." She picked her bag up off the floor and opened the door.

He slammed it shut with his weight leaning on the palm of his hand, his breath in her hair. "You're not going out there alone, Blair."

"I'll be fine, Eric. I'm not a child."

He brushed her hair to one side of her shoulder and kissed the skin that he bared. She sighed and leaned her head back against him, desire pooling in her lower body as he surrounded her with his strong arms and large hands. "You're not a child, no." He pressed one hand against the side of her cheek and turned her face to him. "But you're mine." He nipped lightly at her bottom lip and, at the moan, grasped her hips tightly against him. "All mine."

Not for the first time, Eric revelled in the perfect curvature of her body. He slammed the two of them against the wooden door and felt the curve of her spine and her ass against his front. He pressed his groin hard against her, all the while biting and licking the shell of her ear and listening to her gasps roll over him. His hands roamed from the small of her waist to the flare of her hips before his fingertips dug hard into the flesh, strangling a choked moan from her throat.

The sound was enough to elicit his fangs and he half dragged her from the door and draped over the back of the small couch, her face muffled by the cushion of the back. He bent over her, hot kisses trailing down her back as he unzipped her out and lifted her just enough so that the upholstery wouldn't dig into her stomach. The arm trailed down the front and up her skirt until he felt her hot beneath his fingers, wanting.

With a degree of savagery the likes of which he had never exercised with her - not even when he turned her - he ripped off the lace underwear and buried himself into her from behind, the force of the push nudging the couch a few inches forward. He kept one hand on her hip to keep his rhythm, the other reached for her breast and rolled the bud between his thumb and forefinger just enough to push her over the edge with a silent scream.

Her pale back bore the angry red marks of his fangs when he kissed her and he smiled down proudly, tracing the lines with his fingers even as she moaned in sync with his thrusts. He leaned over her again and, with a handful of her dark curls, turned her just so to feel the warm silk of her tongue against his.

Yes, she was all his.

* * *

Her entire body ached. Muscles she didn't even know she had yelled at her with painful nerves shocked to her brain.

But fuck if she cared.

Her breath was ragged as she laid on the couch he had so gingerly placed her on after he himself had recovered. "Bill is not going to be happy when he finds that we just... in the common area."

His words were hot on his ear. "Fuck Bill." He sat by her, his hands gently massaging her thin fingers.

"Poor guy, he's going to smell me all over this couch for a week," she groaned.

"Lucky bastard he is, then." He placed a kiss on the palm of her hand before pushing her hair back from her face. "You still need to go pick those things up?"

Her eyes snapped open and her mind flew out of the sweat-glistening euphoria she had been temporarily under. She had forgotten all about that - both Dorota and Damon. She knew he couldn't be far; she could feel it in her bones. Feel _him _in her bones.

God, how awful she must be to think about this while Eric was being the man she always wanted him to be.

She shook her head. She wasn't going to let anyone ruin this for her. Not anymore. "Dorota can wait." She kissed him again, rolling off the couch and onto him until all she could think of was him.

Except those startling blue eyes. She couldn't forget his eyes staring at her through the lens.

* * *

Bill burst through the door and Eric couldn't cover Blair's nude form fast enough with the thin hotel sheet. "Is that the Southern chivalry I hear so much about, Compton?"

"Sookie - Sookie's gone. Someone took her."

In her sleepy haze, she could hear the rustling fabric and blurred voices. She couldn't hear a word until Eric crouched beside the bed, a hand shaking her shoulder softly. "Bill and I are going out to investigate this. I need you to stay here, all right? Don't open any doors, windows. Don't talk to anyone you don't know. We'll be back as soon as we can. If you get hungry, there's Tru Blood in the living room. I don't want you to leave this room, do you understand?"

"Lemme come with you," she murmured softly. Her limbs moved languidly beneath the sheets as she struggled to gain full consciousness.

Eric chuckled. "No, kitten. If you come with us then I'll just end up worrying about you. Also, you need your rest. We'll be back before sunrise." He kissed her on the temple and smoothed her hair back. He made to stand but she managed to reach out a hand behind his neck to pull him in for a proper kiss goodbye. "Be safe, Blair."

"You too." She heard their footsteps, then the closing of the door.

It may have been an hour or maybe two later. She blinked awake with the chill of night air on her shoulder and he stood there by her bed, the moon casting his face in shadows. She brought the blanket tighter around her body to keep out the cold and hide herself from his unwavering gaze and teasing smile. "You didn't come to the penthouse. I missed you."

"I don't know you." She reached for her discarded nightgown from beneath the sheet and put it on, protecting her modesty as much as she could.

He tilted his head when she was dressed. "What a shame."

"What are you doing - how did you get in here?"

"It's much easier to break in than your penthouse apartment, that's for sure. But I guess your maker didn't think this whole thing through." He sat on her bed, the one she shared with Eric, and twirled his finger around a lock of her hair. "He's not much of a thinker, is he?"

"No, he's more of a do-er. And when he finds out you're in here, he'll rip you to pieces."

He scrounged up his face in the annoying way that Chuck used to when he was being sarcastic. "I don't think he will. Let's call it a hunch."

Then she remembered. Sookie. "What did you do?"

He chuckled and rolled his eyes. "You sound like my brother already." He turned back to her and ran the back of his index finger down a smooth cheek. "You really are lovely. Too bad I didn't get to turn you myself. Some guys get all the luck." He tracked her Snow-White red bottom lip with his thumb and gave an eye-crinkling smile when her fangs grew. "We could have so much fun, the two of us."

She didn't like the way he made her feel. She wanted nothing more than to close her eyes and curl up in a ball like she used to as a little girl and pretend the monster didn't exist. She was older now, though, and feigned nonchalance. "I'm not interested."

He regarded her for a moment, serious, before that wolfish grin reappeared. "I think you're an excellent liar, Blair." He tilted in for a kiss and it was over before she could stop him, but his taste lingered on her skin. Even as she tried to shake herself out of it, he stood as though nothing had happened. "Tell you what. The annoying Southern belle is safe for now, but I'll be back tomorrow night and we can have a little exchange. Meet me by Bethesda at midnight in Central Park."

Blair swallowed hard, her eyes wavering under his. "Eric will never go for it."

"Yes well, where is he now? Saving you from the big bad wolf or out there looking for that little blonde chit? But then you would know all about waiting around, wouldn't you Blair?" She recognized him in herself. The man knew where to hit to make it hurt then twist in the knife. "I'll see you tomorrow, doll."

"I'm not your doll!" It was a last ditch effort to maintain some dignity in her position, and he turned back from the door.

"Not yet."

"Not ever." She grasped at the sheets that pooled at her waist until her knuckles turned white.

"I'm a lot more fun than that old coot, you know. I would let you do whatever you want. You would know what it's like to be a real, free vampire. Hellraising powers and all. You can rule this city again. Be queen."

"I have a queen." A queen who was going to be very upset that she ran.

"Come on, Blair. We both know you're not the kind to walk in the shadows." He leaned in to kiss her again, but with her own speed, she threw herself off the bed to the lounge chair on the side. He gave a sneer at the sting of her rejection, but stood and straightened out jacket. "Well, just so you know, your Eric won't be able to do much for you."

"I love him." And it was the steadiest voice she had ever used. The declaration scared even herself - she had never admitted it aloud before. She watched his face harden and his left eyebrow twitched before he calmed himself.

"Love won't save him from the glorious sun, now would it? And yet, I am perfectly free to just wander into any room he's sleeping in and just open the blinds. I can just as easily make the choice for you, Blair." She sat, frozen and more helpless than she had ever felt since she had turned. "I'll see you tomorrow night, Blair."

She wished it would never come.


	7. Con Te Partiro

A/N: Things were going good for Eric and Blair for a while, but we all know that, with the introduction of Damon, it couldn't last. Here's the next installment. Thanks for waiting so patiently.

The Runaway

Chapter 7: Con Te Partiro

Eric was really starting to hate the bastard's stench. He'd come back with a flustered Bill with barely enough time to shove the stubborn asshole into the hotel before sunrise and the waft of him was overwhelming. Of course, he only came back to find Blair slumped in the shower with the water running cold.

He needed to get out of this fucking city.

The blinds were drawn shut as the three vampires sat in the living room at nine in the morning, wrapping their heads around the situation. Eric looked worriedly at Blair - she hadn't drank anything and shivered like a wet squirrel in that giant bathrobe. He placed a hand on her shoulder only to watch her shrink away.

That bastard was going to pay for this.

"We need a plan," Bill nearly growled. "What else did he say? What do you remember, Blair?" He crouched by her, his grip hard on her knee and shook.

"Hands, Bill." Eric's quiet warning went unheeded until the blonde took him by the back of his collar and dragged him backward. "Scaring the girl won't do you any good, Compton. Especially not with me."

"Sookie is mine, Eric!"

"You think those laws are in place up here? You think if I just go up to this guy, I can tell him I'm a sheriff and he'll just hand Sookie back with a little bow? Use your brain."

"It's better than sitting around and-"

"I have to go." She was so quiet amidst their yelling but they heard her loud and clear and turned. "I have to go to him. With him." She pulled the robe close to her chest, finding little comfort in the action.

"Now hold on one min-"

"If I don't go, he'll kill y-" She looked up finally, her eyes meeting his own in anguish. "Sookie. He'll kill Sookie." The two men were puzzled, and rightfully so. Blair had always been obvious regarding her disdain of the blonde. "He won't do anything to me. I can protect myself, Sookie can't-"

"We'll think of something else. And no, you can't protect yourself against some maniac."

"At least he wouldn't sleep with me then treat me like a child. He wouldn't drag me away from my friends." She bit down on the back of her jaw, her eyes hard as she closed off her still heart. "Maybe I'll be better off. Maybe we'll all be better off."

"What are you saying, Blair?"

"I'm saying." She paused and sighed as though the entire world rested on her shoulders, crushing her lungs. "That I_want _to go with Damon."

* * *

The ball of tissues were damp in her hand. She wasn't sure she had ever cried this much. "I'm sure he's all right, Blair. Probably just wandering around the hotel somewhere. Pissed, but fine." Bill looked exhausted as well - between looking for and worrying about Sookie and her spat with Eric, he was spreading himself thinner than usual.

"I know. I would know if he- if he-" Another rush of tears fell and Bill handed her another tissue and sat by her.

"You knew how he'd react." He motioned at the door his boss had burst through over two hours ago. "If you're worried about him, why would you tell him you wanted to go with this man?"

She sniffled, her nose red and her puppy eyes in full effect as she looked at Bill. Bill, who had been like an older brother the whole time, who had the loyalty of a golden retriever, who was now patting her head in an awkward attempt to comfort her. "Can you keep a secret?" She knew he would. He nodded. "If I don't g-go with Damon. He'll kill Eric."

Bill drew his hand back, the fear so honest in her eyes that he recoiled. It was difficult to imagine much that could destroy a vampire as powerful as Eric. "Blair, that's Eric's decision to make. He knows what he can take."

She shook her head, chestnut strands flying in every and each direction. "No, no you don't understand. He has this ring, this special ring. He can step in sunlight and- and he could set Eric on fire as easily as you would an ant. I can't lose him but if I told him, he would never back down and I can't- I can't lose him." She looked at Bill fully now. "You can't tell him. You just can't."

Bill took her hand in his and swallowed. He was already feeling guilty about not being able to fulfill that promise.

"When Sookie comes back here, pack up and leave. Forget about me. Forget about all of this. You two have Sookie to fight over. It shouldn't be too hard."

* * *

"I'm going now." He had been staring at the same spot for three hours. Since Eric came back from wherever he was, in one piece without any burns, much to their relief, he was silent and would just stare at a corner of the rug. "I'll make sure Sookie gets back here okay." She held the small traveler's bag in her hand by the door and kept her reactions neutral. Finally, she sighed. "Can you just come over here and kiss me goodbye?"

Nothing. About as much as she meant to him, she supposed.

She sighed and took the initiative as she always did in their relationship. She bent over his chair and kissed his forehead. "Bye, Eric." She hugged Bill and gave him a meaningful look before heading into the cold hallway. The park was four blocks away and it was already 11:45.

"You need to go after her." Bill sat across from his sheriff, not even bothering to attempt to catch his eye. The girl was gone and he could break his silence.

"I can't keep running after her, Bill. Unlike you, I'm nobody's lap dog."

"You know this guy can't be good news."

"You gotta let your kids go some time."

"Yea, but she's not a kid. You love her." Eric glared at him. It wasn't his proudest moment, losing his own offspring, his lover, to some young whelp. It hurt more than he had thought and remembered why it was never a good idea to actually like the thing you're sleeping with.

"That's all over, Bill. From now on, I go back to who I was and she leads her own life. Just like the bitch wanted."

Bill sighed. They were both stubborn bastards were what they were. Complete pains in his ass. "She did it for you."

"Right, before she wanted to set me free, blah all that love crap."

"No, I mean, she did it to save your life."

* * *

Even for a vampire, he was fast and quiet. A born killer. "You look beautiful under the moon."

She turned and glared at him. Stunning as he was, he had ruined everything. "Where's the girl?"

He put a hand to his chest and fell back in jest. "Do you not trust me, Blair?"

"Of course I don't."

He grinned. "Smart girl." He gestured to a bench behind him and she peeked to see a small blonde tied down by ropes and a gag. That was one way to keep her quiet, she supposed. "Now, are you ready to come conquer this city with me?"

"I didn't come here for you."

"Ah, of course. They always come for the damsel in distress." He bent over to the level of her ear. "But they always stay for the devil."

* * *

"You couldn't tell me all of this sooner?" Eric growled, his form hardly casting a shadow under the streetlights as he sprinted. "When we get back to Louisiana, I will _kill _you."

"She made me promise not to say anything." Bill knew there was no winning when he was stuck in an argument between the two of them.

"She's two! Why would you listen to a two-year-old vampire?"

They ran into the clearing surrounding the fountain and stared up at the stone angel for an instant while they listened to the still silence of the park.

Breathing.

They ran in the direction of the nearly wheezing breath only to find a petite blonde stumbling towards them. Bill caught her in his arms. "Sookie, are you all right?"

"They're gone," she gasped. "Blair and Damon, they're gone."


	8. Lost Without You

A/N: Sorry for the wait! There should be a shorter gap between this chap and the next, but in case I get distracted by food (very, very likely), Happy Thanksgiving!

The Runaway

Chapter 8: Lost Without You

Under the assumption that they couldn't have gone far, the three of them combed through the city for any trace of them. After a dejecting phone call with Sophie-Ann, in which Eric was ordered to keep a better eye on his woman and to cut his impromptu vacation as short as possible, he knew he had no other choice.

"I know you guys don't like us, but really, we're all here for Blair." Sookie's voice had never been more grating than when she was asking his very enemies for help. Eric scowled at Chuck's sneer while Bill and Nate tried to keep the entire situation under control. Sookie just held Serena's hands as they huddled by the couch in the lavish living room of the Van Der Humphreys.

"All right, I've got the pizza, let's get movie night roll- whoa." Dan nearly dropped the boxes he had been carrying above his head in his surprise. "I did not get enough pizza for them too."

Eric had had enough of the human's banal humor and sneered his sizable fangs at him. They were definitely larger than Blair's.

"How do I know that Blair didn't run away again because you treat her poorly? I won't help you make her your prisoner." Even Dan had to admit that Chuck's Batman-like intonations could be admirably menacing when the situation required it.

"Don't speak of things you know nothing of, boy. Just find her and we'll be on our way."

"I'm nobody's slave, _vampire_."

"Chuck!" Serena finally murmured. "If Blair's in trouble, we have to help her."

"You seriously trust this guy, Serena? Do you not remember the time when he _dragged _Blair out of her own house?" Nate asked. She sighed. Since becoming involved in the political scene, Nate had become so distrustful, cold and it was only during that brief re-encounter with his first love did he show the signs of warmth and light that used to follow him wherever he went.

"Yes, I really think that he has Blair's best interests in mind - just like us." The three men in her life still looked wary, but she persisted. "Look, if we find her and she tells us this is what she wants, fine. But what if this guy did take her and is like, torturing her or something? We can't just sit here."

"Whoa, wait. Torture?"

"You're late, Humphrey. Stop trying to play catch up," Chuck said as if by complete reflex. He finally looked back at Eric and sighed. "What do you need us to do?"

* * *

"I'm pretty sure that's illegal, Damon. Not to mention, disgusting."

He snapped around, his prey still caught in his hands and his fangs stained with blood from the empty little girl lying on the grass beside them. They were best friends. "Don't be jealous, I said you could have your pick."

"I'm not feeding on defenseless little girls, Damon." She walked over and, with a quick glamor, sent the girl on her way. "There are rules about this kind of thing, you know."

"Oh, get that stick out of your ass, Blair. It's not like she's _dead_-"

"Yea, because I stopped you!"

"About that." He stepped close to her, his hand brushing down her face. "Don't tell me what to do again, understood?" She made an indignant noise before turning on her heel and walking away. Damon grinned - he never minded a good chase.

She had made it as far as their motel before he caught up with her. Blair, unfortunately, did not have the privilege of walking around under the sun and he was cautious enough to plan their hunts for the night time. "Don't be so stubborn, Blair. Just let loose! You'll enjoy it! Live a little."

"Do you know what they do to vampires who don't follow the rules? As small as they are, I'd prefer to keep my fangs, thank you very much." She dropped her purse to the floor, exhausted, and collapsed on the plush couch in the vacant hotel room they found near Prospect Park. He sat by her, his arm around the back.

"Don't worry, I won't let anything happen to those cute little fangs of yours." He leaned in close, his face just inches from hers so that his breath washed over her with his words. "There are no laws here, Blair. This is the wild, wild west, baby and we're the ones with the guns. We can do whatever we want."

And there it was, that coppery hint of sweet, thick blood still lingering in his mouth and it became all too much all at once. Her new status as a vampire brought with her a strong sense of blood lust that had yet to be tamed and as she would with a prey, she leaped upon him, mouth opened and fangs bared.

Even with his back aching on the hard floor, he's not one to back down and Damon wrapped his hand around the back of her neck to bring her down to him. With the offering on his tongue, he tasted her deeply for the first time. Even when she'd taken every last taste she could from him, he couldn't quite let her go and kept his hand wrapped in her curls, the other on her waist.

He wanted to suck the soul out of that sweet little mouth of hers. He would erase every single one of those so called rules that those Southern vampires had etched in her head until she realized that they were on the top of the food chain.

She yanked herself back from him. What was she doing? For a moment, he had been - had tasted mesmerizing. For a moment, kissing him felt right and _good_. There were no rules, no boundaries and she could take what she wanted. Now, looking at his smug grin, she was disgusted with herself. "Ugh, I hate you!"

She untangled herself from him, pushing off his chest with an embarrassed flush unbecoming of the undead and stormed into her room, making sure to slam the door shut in true Waldorf style. She paced until she could get herself back together, until she stopped shaking with that lust for blood that he had inspired in her. She threw herself against her vanity table, her hands gripping the edge as her headache raged. She stared hard at her reflection until she could calm herself.

Faintly, she could hear that Damon had finally gotten up on the other side of the door. "Women and their mixed signals."

* * *

"So when you were trumpeting to me about how you could protect her, all you have are a few useless private investigators and surveillance? Is that the extent of the so-called Bass Empire?" Eric was getting increasingly frustrated with every piece of useless information he was fed. It had been two days and still, not a trace of his offspring could be found. The only thing they knew for sure was that she was still in the city. Archibald's political connections gained him access to the security tapes on every bridge and tunnel that led beyond the boroughs.

"I don't see you contributing anything, Mr. Big-Shot, so why don't you just go be quiet and useless somewhere else?"

"What did you just say, boy?"

"All right, everyone, calm down." This was the third time that Bill, Nate, and Dan have had to break those two up in one hour. At this rate, all of them were going to end up dead in a month.

"See, this? This is why I wanted to get Blair and get out of here. At least in Louisiana, we have laws, order. This damned city has too many holes and tunnels to govern and you have weasels like Salvatore running around like he owns the damned place." Eric ran a hand down his face in an attempt to wake himself up. The whole situation looked hopeless.

"We didn't know she was in trouble. We've lived here all our lives, we never thought-" Serena burst into tears again. She couldn't help it. Since Eric's arrival, she's had all sorts of crazy mental images of Blair lying in a ditch or sewer somewhere. Since that one time Blair fed on her, she had felt closer to her best friend than she ever had. It was as though every fight they ever had flashed before her eyes, but this time, she saw it all from Blair's point of view and it was enough to make her cry. Sookie stroke her back in comfort and looked helplessly at Bill. Certainly, there must be something they could do.

"Come on, all this arguing isn't going to help us find her. Let's brainstorm. I mean, Eric, what would Godric do?"

Eric sighed and looked out the window, arms crossed. Finally, the sun had set. "He would rip this town apart."

He was gone before anyone else even took a breath.

* * *

Damon watched her sleep. It was the only time he could really look at her without having an acid-lined remark thrown at him.

Not that he didn't enjoy those, of course.

She's a funny girl. Morbidly funny. Once she got used to the fact that she's a predator, she would find him funny too. They were two sides of the same coin.

Sure, she looked like a princess - all delicate and beautiful down to her fingertips, but that made her even more deadly. She was the kind of vampire who could walk through the world getting whatever she wanted, worshiped, adored even as she sucked the life out of some poor bastard. She would be infinitely more powerful than Catherine, maybe even himself if she realized her potential. It was a delicate balance, but if he could just tip her a little over to his favor, they could have a very good thing.

And who said good things didn't last forever?

She scrunched up her nose in her sleep, as though even subconsciously, she disapproved of him. He was getting accustomed to her little idiosyncrasies and he couldn't remember the last time he cared to do so for anyone else. Perhaps Stefan, but the boy's always too busy sulking in one corner or another. It made teasing way too easy.

He watched her feet disappear beneath the blankets as she curled up a little more and smiled at the vampire's childlike habits. He made his calculations - their little tryst last night notwithstanding, Blair hadn't fed for nearly three days. For a baby vampire like herself, that must seem like a lifetime so it shouldn't be too long now.

He kissed her forehead and put on his jacket. Time to pay that rotund maid of hers a visit. She would be wanting those clothes, after all.


	9. I Make Them Good Girls Go Bad

A/N: I hope everyone had a good holiday! To battle the dreaded feeling of returning to school/work, have a chapter on the house :). As always, thank you so much for your responses!

The Runaway

Chapter 9: (I Make Them) Good Girls Go Bad

Fear was useless in a city where everyone lived like they're already dead. Time after time, humans have proved useless when Eric inquired after either Blair or her captor and he was running out of patience as quickly as he was draining the little sympathy he had for them. The city that never slept was a ghost-town in most areas at night and he wished he was back at Fangtasia, his herd by his side.

He stood on the bridge and looked out toward the glittering lights of Manhattan with the wind whistling in his ear. He had traced every bit of that island and if she had been anywhere, in any crevice or tunnel in the grid, he would have known. That left the other boroughs for two hours left of night. By the time he found a place to stay, he would be cutting it close.

_Of course_, he thought as he ran. _Nothing worth having ever came easily._

* * *

Her eyes hurt. Actually, her entire head hurt when she woke and she snapped her eyelids shut. Someone had turned on the light in her room.

"Rise and shine, darling." He sounded so disgustingly cheerful that she actually scowled. "Come on. Get up, walk around. The moon does the dead body good." She turned her back towards the sound of his voice. It was body language even he couldn't be oblivious to. "Is that how you treat someone who brought you presents?"

She felt a weight drop on her leg and took a peek. Garment bags. He had thrown a pile of garment bags at her. Although... that peek of lace was suspiciously familiar. Her curiosity got the best of her and with a look that said "I'll get up but I'm not going to like it," she sat up and reached for the top of the pile. He only smiled on indulgently and she made it clear that it was not appreciated.

She pulled the zipper down slowly to reveal the Ferragamo dress she had purchased via Dorota what seemed like a lifetime ago. The fabric felt soft beneath her touch and she pressed her face against it - there was nothing like the smell of new clothes, especially after Dorota had spritzed a touch of Coco Mademoiselle after the purchase. That woman knew her like no one else.

"And here, I took some stuff that I liked from your closet too." He threw a duffel bag at her and she nearly gagged at the thought of all that silk and cashmere stuffed together in a bag. She opened it only to find choice pieces of her... delicates in different colors and materials strewn haphazardly all over the place.

"You went through my underwear drawer?"

"The little purple number is my favorite." She ignored him and dug deeper to look through his choices. Even she had to admit it begrudgingly, the man had good taste. At the very bottom was a faded mint green lace dress with a satin slip.

Victrola.

She lifted it out by the shoulders and placed it beside her on the bed, recalling how it felt to have the material slide slowly down her arms until her back was pressed against fresh leather. Behind her now was a man who could slip onto the bed without her knowing and grasp onto her shoulders before she could even turn around. When had her life taken this turn?

It's all Chuck's fault, isn't it? Somehow, somewhere, the Basstard was always behind the disasters of her life.

"Dorota did a hell of a job washing the stain out, but I could smell your blood on it. I'm a sentimental guy." He kissed the shell of her ear before resting his chin on her shoulder.

"You are, aren't you?" She turned her face toward him, her murmuring lips touching his briefly and he shut his eyes to the sensation of the first Blair-initiated kiss between them. He barely tasted her, enjoyed the soft pads of her flesh when she whispered, "Who's Catherine?"

He recoiled like she had poured acid on him and looked at her with such disgust that, even if she was prepared to unveil some hidden secret, surprised her. He was more serious than she had ever seen him, more dangerous and erratic. She watched him try to regain his composure, run his hand through his hair and shut his eyes tight. "You don't get to talk about her. Ever."

"I heard you say her name. Last night, in your sleep-"

"Shut up!"

"Am I supposed to replace her? Is that what this is?" She was on her back before she could begin her next sentence, his body looming over hers and his hands tight around her throat. He squeezed tight and had she been a human, her neck would have snapped. However, after the initial moments it took to realize that she didn't need to breathe, she went limp from her struggle and stared right back at his furrowed brow and large fangs. Now she was really curious.

He took a breath that she felt on her face and loosened his grip to rest his hands on either side of her head among her curls. "Look what you made me do." His voice was soft as he ran his lips softly up her neck, still warm and clammy from his touch, to her ear. "I didn't-" He rested his forehead against hers and opened his eyes, strikingly blue in the dim light. "I didn't want this for us. This wasn't supposed to go like this."

The harsh whisper reminded her so much of Chuck that it pulled at what little maternal instinct Blair had left. She brought her hands up to stroke the sides of his face and felt him shiver while she murmured, "it's okay. It's okay."

He turned and kissed the palm of her hand, just like Chuck used to and the subject was dropped. He kissed her quickly on the lips, then her forehead. "Get dressed. You must be starving."

Yes. Her head did feel a little... funny.

* * *

Eric ran from the penthouse. He could still smell the bastard so he must have been there earlier in the day and if he was here, then Blair...

The maid told him the strange, handsome man had taken her purchases with him - were they planning on moving soon? He tracked the scent like a dog, so straight and narrow that he nearly ran into Chuck.

"You know something." The billionaire grabbed him by the arm and he had to resist the urge to shrug him off and send him flying to a wall. He had to remember he was in New York now.

"It's none of your concern, human."

Sookie and Bill rounded up their party and he was growing increasingly frustrated at the blockade of people between him and-

"We're working together on this. Blair needs us." This Serena girl's voice was beginning to resemble the high pitched whine of a golden retriever and he nearly cringed at her plea.

"Come on, Eric. What do you have? You can't do this alone."

He glared at Bill. Eric personally didn't have anything against humans, but could this guy, for once, side with his own kind? "I don't answer to any of you." He sped past them to the door. "None of you deserve her."

He left them with his words lingering around them. Chuck's breath grew hard until it threatened to snap inside him and he hurled the lobby vase toward the wall. Without a word, he left five hundred dollars on the empty center table.

The truth was always difficult to hear.

* * *

He could feel her growing increasingly irate beside him and her ire was beautiful. Her eyes grew hard with hunger and her lips panted a rhythm that beat against his ears. Her hands clenched and unclenched by her sides and he could almost imagine her thoughts. "Just pick one," she finally said through her teeth.

Damon couldn't help but smirk at her impatience. The hunger pains were driving her irritatingly responsible logic to the ground and he loved nothing more than watching her unravel. She looked like she could finish every useless soul in the basement hipster bar.

It was intoxicating.

"Now, now. We don't want to draw too much attention to ourselves, do we?" He flagged the bartender and half-heartedly ordered two gin and tonics before he sat on the empty bar stool and pulled her up against him to sit on his knee. His girl growled softly at his indulgent smile before surveying the crowd again.

"If you don't pick someone right now I'm going to start biting _you_." The salivated tips of her fangs behind his ear made him want to purr and he settled for just holding her closer to him.

"See that couple over that?" He tilted his head toward a blond pair in the corner caught in an intimate embrace. After she had gotten a quick glance, he turned her face back toward him with a hold on her chin. His eyes locked on hers and he imagined. In his mind's eye, he replaced the two with her precious maker and the human who trailed alongside them. With the expansion and shrinking of his pupils, that is how she would see it too. "Doesn't that just piss you off?"

He heard her gasp, loud and sharp that brought the shine of tears stinging to her eyes before she clenched her teeth and stormed out.

With an amused grin, he gave her a head start. He was telling the truth when he didn't want the two of them to be like this. This whole mind manipulation games thing only complicated things down the road, but this one was extra stubborn. Just this one little tweak to get her started and it'll all fall into place. Damon was sure of it.


	10. Already Gone

A/N: Thanks again for you guys' comments. They really give me ideas and kind of help me steer the story when I get a little nuts. I know a lot of you have exams and holiday buzz, so I hope this helps you relax a little! Thanks again for reading!! (P.S.: Poor Eric!)

The Runaway

Chapter 10: Already Gone

Eric found her as he had never seen her before. Her eyes black with blood lust and her teeth sunk deep into the throat of a young man in a white button down now drenched in scarlet. Her hands gripped his shoulders against the wall so tightly that he could see the veins and bones flex as she fed. Savage noises that he had never heard from her before - growls and moans - escaped her throat. The body in her hands hung limp against the alley and it was easy to see that he was past saving. Her first kill. It was the point of no return.

Her first kill and she was all alone.

He would have thought that this Damon guy would stick around and take care of her, but now Eric was really going to torture the bastard when he got his hands on him. He took an apprehensive step, careful not to startle her, and paused when she turned her head swiftly to him. With her cheek and chin smeared with blood, he wasn't sure what to feel. He was proud, yet horrified. Worried yet aroused. The smell of blood and Blair was paralyzing.

"Come home with me, Blair."

The body fell to the floor with a thud and she slowly ran the back of her hand across her face, leaving streaks of red against her skin. "I don't think that's going to happen, Eric." The tips of her hair grew stiff as they dried and, in combination with the look in her eyes, she looked wild. "Although I am curious, are you sick of your little toy already?"

She sneered at him with pink-stained teeth and he could tell even without words that she was already planning her escape. Just as she lunged to the right, though, he caught her and had her pinned against the wall by the wrists in a second. "You know better than to leave your messes behind, Blair. I taught you better than that." He watched her struggle against him, her body familiar even if the hostility wasn't. She gave one last push before she gave up, settling for a withering glare instead. At this proximity, Eric finally got a good look at her. Beneath her fair, nearly translucent skin, her spidery veins ran dark. "The bastard. He's been starving you, hasn't he?"

She growled, a noise deep in her throat. "What do you care?"

He released a wrist to run the back of his hand against a blood-stained cheek, his eyes locked to hers just as they used to be when they made love. "You know I-"

The silent, blunt force could have only come from another immortal being and as he fell unconscious, Blair flexed her freed hands. "How was dinner, doll?" Damon held out his hand for her to take, his blue eyes glittering in the lone back alley light. She smiled wryly at him and he wrapped his arm around her small waist, her back still against the wall. He nudged Eric's body aside with the toe of his shoe before planting a big one on her; the blood still tasted fresh on her tongue. "Still hungry?"

She nodded and looked up at him, her teeth bit down on her lower lip. She was his now. "The city awaits." She gave her maker an extra kick, right in his chest, as she jumped away, her new companion's hand swinging in hers.

* * *

It took three hours for Eric to properly dispose of the body they had so carelessly left behind and he had just enough time to slip back into The Palace before the sun rose. Even with the pain in his head and the bruise on his chest, all of his thoughts revolved around her safety. Did she get back before sunrise? Had she been discovered? He ran through all the rookie mistakes she could have made and with each, became even more anxious.

He fell onto the couch in the Bass suite, completely ignoring Bill and several of New York's most influential individuals, and sighed. He had grossly underestimated this Damon and they would have to start their search anew.

"Good to see you're still the same mannerless prick you were this evening." Apparently the gloves were off. Even the blond lapdog was starting to bite. "Did you manage to at least get something useful done?"

Eric groaned, his hand covering his eyes while his feet dangled off the side of the love seat. "I found her, if that's what you mean. I'm guessing that's more than you-"

"Wait, you found her?"

"Well, Eric, where is she?"

"Is she all right?"

Were these people brain-damaged? He expected it from Sookie and the other blonde, but Bill as well? Looking at the two girls, he could only think of eager, excited puppies. He hated puppies. He heard a sigh from the man he nearly threw across the room about twelve hours ago. "How bad was it?"

"What are you talking about, Chuck? He found her! That's good news, right?" It was nearly heartbreaking the way Serena's smile drooped slowly as she realized that there was nothing good about the situation. "...but she isn't here."

Eric sighed. "No, she is not."

Bill took a seat, now somber and unaffected by the ladies' infectious smiles. "What happened?"

It was difficult for Eric to find the right words for the delicate feminine sensibilities and he could hardly predict their reactions. They are human, after all, and prone to over react. So he kept his eyes on his fellow vampire and laid it out plainly. "She killed." The words tasted poisonous around his tongue. She had been so pure and good, even as she sunk her teeth apologetically to the Southern fang bangers who willingly offered themselves to her. He couldn't protect that. "He starved her and she killed."

Serena's pout was matched with her small voice. "She told me she'd never done that before." She reached for the small bite marks on her neck, remembering the sensation and trust...

"She never did." Bill rested his chin on his folded hands as he assessed the situation. He knew how messy a vampire kill could be and he couldn't imagine the pristine little princess getting herself into that sort of dirty work. This Damon character must have been more dangerous than they thought.

"We hunt." Chuck rose from his seat and Eric watched as he straightened out a twisted diamond necklace on display at the mantel. His finger tips lingered on the heart pendant dangling in the middle. "We hunt that bastard down and get her back."

Before falling into an exhaustion-induced sleep, Eric nodded. He couldn't agree more.

* * *

"I'm having so much fuuuuuun!" She spun around the house they had just taken over from their entree (alley prey were for appetizers at best). Her hair was still wet from her shower and beads of water that still held her scent fell on his skin. She was drunk on her binge.

"Didn't I tell you that this would be good? That we would be good?" He turned on the elaborate sound system in the bachelor pad and he lulled momentarily to the jazz that filled the room. "Come here." He held out his hand and was more than pleased when she obliged and twirled herself into his arms.

She swayed, her head tilted back and a nonsensical smile on her face. He was right. There was no way Eric could make her this happy when she knew that Sookie was hanging around. She danced on tip toes with her bare feet hopping from the living room to the kitchen, leaving a damp trail as she went. She gripped his hand and he followed, her spirit infectious as he, too, soaked in the decadent music.

She led him to the bedroom, where the rich bastard had silk sheets covering his bed. Sure beat the hotel they were staying at. Before he could say a word, she was laying on the bed, her eyes trained on him as if they were luring him into a trap. He took a minute to admire the view. "So no more running back to that guy, huh?"

A hint of anger flashed in her eyes before she had her hands behind his neck and her legs wrapped around his waist. She hissed when he grabbed her thigh. With a lazy smile and a quirked eyebrow, she said the words he'd been waiting to hear. "I'm all yours."

* * *

"Drinking before noon. A man after my own heart. It's no wonder Blair chose you out of all the vamps in the world." Eric hardly spared Chuck a glance when he saw the billionaire stroll into the living room kitchen of his penthouse in his bathrobe. In the morning, when things were quiet, they were okay.

He swished the artificial blood around in his bottle before he offered in jest, "blood?"

Maintaining his cool with a wave of his hand, Chuck impressed Eric. "I'm more of a scotch man myself." He watched the ease with which the barely legal New Yorker poured himself a drink. Under different circumstances, perhaps the two of them could have been friends.

That is, if Eric were the type to have friends in the first place.

* * *

Seven days.

Well, more accurately, seven nights.

Damon could no longer deny that he was absolutely infatuated with this girl. She was vivacious in a way he could never rouse from Catherine or Stephen. It was a side of her that he had proudly unleashed. The power without the self-loathing that so often came with the fangs. She enjoyed the hunt as much as he and even shared the spoils on occasion. There was nothing more perfect than the look on her face at the end of the night as she stretched out beside him, sated.

It helped that she shared her bed with him now.

Of course, on occasion, he had been woken by surprise when she brought food home and threw the man on their bed, but that was what he called a delicious surprise. Besides, he couldn't possibly be more shocked than the prey itself. For whatever reason, even when they saw him, the first thing that popped into mind was "threesome."

Humans.

As if he would ever let- as if they were worthy of-

Her skin was soft beneath his hands as he wrapped them around her. The rough part was over now and she no longer fought. Instead, she was like a sweet child with her tempting eyes and pleasing smile. She knew to bat her eyelashes and give sweet kisses when she wanted something and, like every good suitor, he indulged her every whim. She became increasingly bold - her exploits in public places and the way she would unbutton the top few clasps on her dresses made her positively electric in his eyes.

She did own this city, even if the denizens themselves didn't know it. They'd fed in every borough, marked the bars and alleys they had hit in Brooklyn and Queens. The Bronx was a bit too rowdy and animalistic for their tastes. The hunt was always too easy in a place where no one had much to live for.

There it was again - that teasing smile. "What can I do for you now, my dear?"

She rolled herself on top of him, her curves resting perfectly on the planes of his body. "There's a lot you can do for me now." She laughed, a tone deeper than when she had met him. "But I was thinking we could do something a little... different tonight."

He brushed his hands down her sides when she gave a little nip to his chest. He loved her when she was playful. "What did you have in mind?"

"Let's go into the city." He cocked an eyebrow. They had stayed out of Manhattan since she left her maker. "It's time to fish in a bigger pond."

It was telling exactly how much the girl knew him when she rolled her hips at that precise moment in that mind-numbing way of hers - all lip biting and leisurely even as his grip attempted to hold her in place and his breath struggled to remain in control. "Whatever you want," he growled as he rolled them over. He slipped into her with practiced ease. "Whatever you want."

He sealed it with a kiss.


	11. Long Gone

A/N: Sorry for the insane delay. With the holidays, I took on a few requests and got distracted! As an apology, I jam-packed some action into this chapter. Hope you guys like it!

The Runaway

**  
**Chapter 11: Long Gone

"She didn't choose me."

The two of them stared at their reflections as they sat beside each other at the bar in Chuck's suite. Good old 1812, away from the noise and the fretting and the crying.

"Hm?" Chuck asked.

"You said before that you understood why Blair chose me out of everyone. The truth is, she didn't." He took a drink and silently appreciated the fact that, unlike Bill, Chuck seemed like the kind of person who would let you finish a story without interruptions. "She was my reward."

His eyes grew distant as he recalled the way she looked in the moonlight when she was offered to him at the gathering. She was standing in her white dress, shaking a little from the breeze but unafraid even with everyone salivating around her. "She came to the queen to offer her allegiance and her highness rewarded me with her because I'm the best in her kingdom and she knew, she knew I would take good care of her."

His fangs ached for her as he remembered how soft her skin was and how pliable her body became beneath his hands. His teeth had sunk right into her flesh as if it were made of cream and he lapped it up like a wound on himself. The way she looked at him when she first awoke as one of them... she was his.

And how he made such a mess of things, he had no idea.

"I was supposed to take good care of her too." His current companion said softly. Eric turned to the boy billionaire who kept his gaze down at his glass. "Nate, too. And Serena. She always took care of us, but we sucked at reciprocating." He finished off his scotch and stood from his seat. "Look, I'm not Serena or Nate. I'm not an idiot. I know we lost her for good. Just make sure you don't do the same."

"Is that a surrender?"

"I wasn't aware that we were in a war." Of course he was, Eric smirked. "But if I had a fighting chance, if she gave me any indication, you can be sure that I'll fight for her properly this time. Whatever it takes."

Those were dangerous words. Eric recognized as much.

* * *

Blair Waldorf in Manhattan was a sight to behold. She shined her pearly whites and flicked her loose hair as though she had just stepped right off the silver screen. She always looked like she was right where she was supposed to be. Each step was taken with a confidence he had never seen in her before. He trailed behind her a little, watching her firm steps without an ounce of delirium.

Blair Waldorf in Manhattan was all about control. Damon was quickly losing his.

"I have a surprise for you." She smiled demurely at him over the bare shoulder of her red strappy dress. Her lips were stained to match and her eyes lined closely with charcoal.

He was pretty sure he was going to like this surprise. He could hear his excitement pumping with the beat of the ridiculous music blasting from the speakers at the club. Blair hardly ever disappointed.

* * *

Chuck decided to let the man with the nose sniff her out. In the mean time, while the vampire had his reminiscing session back at the penthouse, Chuck indulged in a fantasy of his own. A girl in a too-tight corset came up to take his hat and coat while another placed a ready-made drink in his hand.

Another Friday night at Victrola.

The place still smelled as musty as the time he first stepped foot in the establishment. Before it was Victrola. It was this divey, underground secret smell that attracted him to the place. It was the smell that told its patrons that their suits could be wrinkled, their masks could be taken off and no one would give two shits about what happened at the office or whether or not the boyfriend was chasing some skirt.

Complete escape.

Out of anywhere and anyone in Manhattan, Blair had chosen him, here, all those years ago. That was the kind of feeling a man didn't forget.

How many times had he sat in his chair - his throne - and watched for her on the stage? His lips lingered at the edge of his glass as he watched his girls dance for anonymous strangers who came for a quick, forgettable thrill. Except that nothing here was ever forgettable, he knew that first hand.

He saw her everywhere when he came, wearing costumes and red lips just for him. He saw her serving cocktails, dancing, sitting on his lap, and the girls knew that when the boss started calling them "Blair," they would probably get a huge tip that night.

He saw her even now, skipping on stage, looking radiant against the other dancers. This one was a dead-ringer for her and he was going to have to ask the manager where he found this girl. She swung her hips seductively, eyes closed and a self-indulgent grin on her face. The woman was glorious.

He turned when he felt the familiar chill to his side and started just a little when he saw Eric beside him, eyes glued to the stage. Chuck wasn't sure if he was more disturbed by how quietly the vampire moved, or the fact that he was slowly becoming adjusted to it. "Aren't you supposed to be out looking for our girl?"

"I found her."

Chuck turned his attention back to the stage. The mirage had become real.

The dancer opened her eyes and they stared straight at him. There was that smile again, the smile that was making him stand up and swallow hard. His feet shuffled toward her as she twisted and turned in the tight red satin. He always was drawn to her. Human or vampire.

* * *

If she was here, then _he _couldn't be far. Eric learned this the hard way last time. He was ready to slit the throats of every man here with the way they stared at her with open lust, but that would ruin his suit and she'd be angry at him for ruining her performance. And what a performance this was.

She looked like pure sin even as she trailed a hand across the pale skin of the opposite arm. Even he had to pause and get an eyeful of the drug she was offering. Of course, he was already addicted. He closed his eyes and reveled in the memory of her skin against his. Even as she struggled against the wall in their last encounter, her small body fit perfectly into the space and crevices in his. She was always fire and passion in their eternal nights of ennui and he almost wanted to keep her in a little jar to keep her from flickering out.

Here she stood still, though. A lone candle burning in the sick smells of a decaying city, her sparks spitting into the crowd and lighting her newly acquired admirers with throbbing veins and whole-hearted devotion.

She gave him a lightning flash of a sneer - one that spoke volumes about her present opinion of him - before returning her attention to the man who had been her first. It seemed like Chuck Bass was reminiscing as well, in the way his jaw dropped and his eyes remained constant on her.

She skipped off stage, disappointed boos and complaints filled the air but it was easy to ignore as she nearly sashayed up beside them after throwing a quick glance at a pair of ice blue eyes in a dark corner. With barely a dismissive look and light shove at Eric's broad chest, Blair drew her attention on her former love with a sly smile and her seductress eyes. A red strap fell off her right shoulder. Her hands fell on his shoulder as she drew a stocking covered knee onto the chair, sliding her thigh right down the length of his before settling comfortably in his lap. Her teeth scraped the side of Chuck's neck and Eric heard her whisper. "I've missed you, Chuck."

She had her claws in the boy's soul. He was beyond saving. Blair, however, was a different story. Eric refused to give up on her and to cure the disease, it was necessary to remove the source rather than only treating the symptoms. He had to find Damon Salvatore and he had to do it fast.

* * *

Blair knew very well that Chuck wasn't stupid, but he did have a tendency to be reckless. If his recklessness served to hurt Eric, well that's all the better for her, wasn't it?

She always did take offense to the phrase, 'Hell hath no fury like a woman scorned.' In her experience, men could give as good as they got. Chuck always had a vengeful nature and Eric... well, she had seen her fair share of his prisoners. The more correct and accurate way of describing the current situation is 'don't piss off Blair Waldorf.'

Sure, it was all fun and games and Damon did know how to have a good time, but she would be lying if she said that she didn't derive some sort of sick pleasure from watching Eric pine over her as she had for him. All that time when he thought he preferred blondes. Funny how that worked out.

It helped, of course, that the Chuck Basstard was easy on the eyes. She never forgot, though, the fact that he was one of the main reasons she became the monster she was today. He was the one who had driven her to Queen Sophie-Anne. She could suck him dry and not feel an ounce of guilt. No, Damon talked her out of any guilt Bill had ever tried to force on her when it came to their... diet. She would be happy to put the Bass out of his misery. It would be a merciful death, dying in the arms of a beautiful woman, just the way he always wanted.

"Let's get out of here." She tugged at his tie to pull him into a standing position and, without relinquishing her hold on him, led the poor little rich boy to the exit.

Damon would take care of the rest.

* * *

She wouldn't leave him. She promised.

Damon kept telling himself this as he ran. It was becoming increasingly difficult to lie to himself, especially if it concerned her. She was exactly the vampire he groomed her to be and no one knew better than himself. It was the way her eyes strayed from him to the new world available to her. She was a free woman now, but he would do this for her at the very least. He lost her to herself, but Damon refused to lose her to him. It gave him hope that, at least, when she's tired of the whole charade and had her fill of what their lifestyle had to offer, she would return to him. Then they could dance again.

His breath grew heavy as the steps grew louder behind him. Talk about having difficulty shaking a bad habit. He couldn't imagine her with someone so damned clingy.

He ran into a familiar alley and turned around. Waiting. "It's impolite to run from someone who wants to talk." The lone street light reflected off his white-blond hair. "And trust me, I've been wanting to have a chat with you."

"I think you have more than a chat in mind, Mr. Northman." Damon could smell the rage radiating off of him. This was a powerful one.

"You know me so well. Shame I have to kill you or we could be best friends."

Best friends fighting over a girl. How terribly cliche. "Now, now. Eric, I'm not that kind of girl. I would require wining and dining before I'm in for a little action."

Eric chuckled and Damon couldn't help but roll his eyes. This guy was proving to be more and more of a villainous stereotype. He was almost offended, being a villain himself. "Oh, believe me, I can't wait to wine and dine on your flesh. Let's get this over with, shall we?" He lunged, all teeth and fists and even with his speed, Damon was against the wall with a bloody nose before he could blink.

"You know, this could all be over if you would just crawl back to your little human." He had his hand around the fist clutching the front of his shirt and he smiled as he felt the bones break. "You did this. I just helped her along."

Eric roared, a majestic, lion-like roar, and slammed his opponent back into the brick wall. He relinquished his hold, feeling the damage done to his good hand (the bastard). Damon was surprised. A sheriff feeling badly? It wasn't something he saw everyday. "You're a liar. You starved her. You lied to her. You, you took her from me." This time, the blonde found his fist in the wall. Damon wasn't dumb enough to get hit twice.

* * *

"I love you."

She laid down on the bed, smirk and eyes all directed at him. He was such a big part of her life for so long and yet, she had no problem lying to him anymore. He was just another guy. The words slipped out so easily between her lips because they simply weren't true. Not anymore. For old times' sake, though, she would give him this. No one could say she was completely ruthless.

"Blair." He sounded almost broken. Good. He broke her so many times she was still trying to find all the missing, chipped off pieces. His lips descended on hers and she cradled him, almost motherly, in her arms. "I am so sorry, I-"

"Shhhhh." She placed a finger on his lips. She didn't need to hear a confession before feasting on him. He didn't deserve absolution.

She sat up slowly, pushing him back onto the bed. It was always how he liked it. What kind of vampire would she be if she couldn't afford her ex-boyfriend a perfect last meal? She watched his eyes, still oblivious (or indifferent) to the danger, as she slipped the straps off her shoulders and unzipped the dress to reveal the slip she wore for their first time. Her first time. It seemed only fitting.

His hands reached for her satin-covered hips and she smiled, her hands busy undoing his tie. She fisted her hands in the collar of his shirt and lifted him slowly. His hands gripped her thighs as they reached for the straps to her stockings.

And they say she's not sentimental.


	12. Your Love's a Drug

A/N: A short little chapter to keep you guys on your toes. The fic has only about 2-3 chapters left! Could it be that I'll actually finish something? We will see!

The Runaway

Chapter 12: Your Love's a Drug

"I'll never tell you where she is." The boy taunted him. "I don't care what kind of sheriff you are. You're on my stomping ground now." Damon pinned the larger man against the wall, his bruised knuckles held captive around his back. "What's more, she doesn't want you to find her because even if those humans didn't value her, you should have and you didn't. You lost your chance, buddy."

The truth always stung the hardest and for Eric, there was no harsher truth. He fought, his face scraping against the harsh brick. "Shut your mouth, you insect." He wrestled a hand free and swung blindly behind him. "You don't know anything about her." He hit air.

"Oh, don't I? I know that she was so good and guilt-ridden about feeding. I know that she was so in love only to have it thrown back in her face every time that little Southern bimbo came around. What was her name...Sootie? Suckie?" Damon laughed as he continued to struggle and hit invisible targets. "Even now you're more enraged for this girl than you ever were for Blair. That's why you don't deserve her. That's why I'm going to make her mine forever."

Eric snapped his head back, hard, and was rewarded with the satisfying crunch of breaking Damon's nose. "I'm not going to ever let you touch her again." His fingers wrapped around the Damon's throat and pushed him into the ground with such force that the cement revealed a crack. "You'll never see her again, do you understand me?"

There was blood rushing from his nose to his mouth, staining his teeth red as he grinned back at Eric. "Even if you kill me, you can't get her back. She's free. I set her free."

"You drove her mad!" He put a knee on Damon's chest and leaned forward until his face was right above the other's. "You should feel honored. Very rarely do I kill vampires." The laugh Damon managed to cough out was unnerving. "Go ahead, I'll let you have your last laugh."

"Am I supposed to be afraid?" His blue eyes cut across the streetlights behind them. "I've been dead for years. Handsome, but dead. You think that this is going to scare me? No. Go ahead. I want you to do it. I'll die with the satisfaction of knowing that even if you get her back, even if she goes to you again, she'll see you as the guy who killed the one person who understood her."

"Stop saying that."

"It's true." Damon laughed again. "None of you get it! None of you get what it's like to not be good enough. To have the person you're in love with fawn over someone so undeserving and not being able to do _anything_ about it." He calmly put his hand on top of the one currently grasping his throat. "So go ahead. Kill me. Kill me and she'll never look at you again."

* * *

"Chuck," she gasped as she rocked against him again. She forgot how good Chuck was at the things he excelled in. He truly, truly excelled in this. "Chuck." She leaned her head back at the feel of his lips on her neck and felt his hands grasp her waist again, controlling her movements even as he thrust upwards in rhythm.

"Jesus, Blair." His fingers dug into her waist, hips, thighs, breasts and she couldn't feel the hurt at all. All she could sense was him inside and the blood rushing through his veins. "You're so fucking small." He buried his face in the crook of her neck, inhaling the faint scent of perfume that lingered even among the bloodbaths and decay. "I want to keep you forever."

She scowled. What was it with men and their ridiculous possessiveness over her? They never want her but then the minute she tries to be her own woman, they want to put her in their pockets. She grasped a handful of short brown hair and yanked his head away from her so that his face was just inches from hers. "You've got some nerve, you know that, Bass?"

He smirked. A smirk she had seen right before he closed a deal on his terms. He wrapped his white cotton button down that was hanging off her shoulder a little tighter around her until his arms encircled her completely. "I'm never letting you go."

"Do I need a restraining order?"

While one hand remained on the small of her back, the other rain down her front, past the valley of her breasts until it reached her spot. He pressed down and watched her plunge herself into the darkness, eyes close and smudged red lips limp. Being with Blair, physically at least, was never difficult. It was everything that came after that fucked them up.

* * *

Eric pushed up off the ground with a growl. As much as he didn't want to admit it, the bastard was right. For whatever reason, Blair seemed to have found a kindred spirit in him and since he was already in hot water with her... "Where is she?"

"How should I know?"

"I'm not playing games, Salvatore."

Damon wiped the blood off his face as he staggered upright. "That's the problem with you, isn't it? You're never any fun. That's why she doesn't want to be around you."

"And you think she'll be so much better off with you? Always hunted, scrounging for food. The way you two are going, the humans are going to catch on and hunt you down and then what? You're going to force her to live in the shadows with you? Is that your way of providing for her?"

"Shut up."

"It must have been cute to play house for a while, but it's time to wake up. I can give her what you never could. Stability. And if you know her, then you know that's what she needs more than anything. Stability and, when she gets old enough, her own subjects to rule over. You know that's what she wants more than anything. Absolute power." Eric felt Damon's glare on him and couldn't help but gloat. "Tell me where she is and I'll try to undo the damage that you've caused."

"You'll have to beat me to her." With another flash, the chase was on.

* * *

Sure, she was undead now, but Chuck Bass could still give her a workout. She laid beside him in his dress shirt, panting with her cheek pressed to the pillow. "Chuck?"

He let out a long breath and she watched his chest rise and fall. His veins ran with oxygen. "Yea?"

"I'm hungry now."

He turned his head to her and drank the image of her in. In that moment, hair tousled, swallowed by his own clothes, she was perfect. He could die happier than he would live. He entangled her small hand in his and covered his heart and her body followed until she laid neatly on top of him. "Aim well."

His eyes were soft, a light brown the way the candle light hit, and a smile played at the corners of his mouth. She ignored the dull fluttering feeling he still gave her when he looked at her like that and licked carefully the patch of skin concealing his major artery. Warm and slick. She would take every last drop. She would k-

"Remember to kill me."

She shot up, her eyebrows raised. What did he just say?

"I don't want to survive this. I couldn't imagine a better way to go." His smile, that damned eerie smile that made her skin crawl, was still plastered on his face. "The last thing I see would be you, right up until I go to sleep." He ran the back of his fingers down her cheek. "It would be the best gift in the world." He ran his fingers through her curls and she felt her lips tremble. What the hell?

"So you knew that tonight I was going to..."

"You always use your dance as a prelude to something spectacular."

"You think I won't do it." She swallowed the lump in her throat. He was so close. It would be so easy. All he had to do was say no, spite her. That's all she needed. It was what she needed in Victrola the last time she said those words.

"I have no doubt in my mind." The smug bastard!

"Well, who am I to disappoint then?" She looked at him the whole time, as her small, sharp fangs grew and her eyes turned dark. She wanted him to see the monster, the thing she truly was now, not the pretty little girl he lusted after. Then maybe he would stop looking at her like that and she could just...

"I love you." She blocked it out. She blocked it all out, the hands and the words and the looks, and she bit down until she found what she was looking for. She bit and she ignored the mist the clouded over her eyes and threatened to spill over.

It was nothing.


	13. We Are All to Blame

A/N: Thank you for your reviews! Sorry this is taking a while. I always have trouble with endings/near endings. Hope you guys enjoy!

The Runaway

Chapter 13: We Are All to Blame

"B!"

Blair felt hands on her. Hands that didn't belong to Chuck or Eric or Damon but were familiar all the same. She wanted to shrug them off. It was disrespectful to the one who offered himself up to her. She just needed to finish this. "Blair, get off him!" Another set of hands. Where the fuck are they all from? Didn't the Palace have tight security once upon a time?

She growled and nearly roared when she was finally ripped away from the neck she had been feasting on. The minute they had gotten her off of him though, she flung herself right back, the Bass heir's bloody head cradled in her embrace, her legs wrapped around him. "Leave us alone." She looked into the faces that were once so familiar. The faces of friends.

"B, please. We can still save him." Blair held onto his wound tight, the blood rushing warm against her fingers. "B, please. He's my brother." She was so sick of Serena's tears.

"He's mine. You can't have him. Go away," she mumbled quickly. She had him running through her veins now. Her ankle dug deeper into his body. "Leave us alone."

"Blair, let's get him to a doctor. No one has to know about this. We'll get you better." She shook her head. This was what he wanted. This was what he-

She hissed as Sookie Stackhouse, of all people, tried to grab hold of his arm. Bill quickly pulled the blonde behind him. "Blair, listen. We'll talk to Eric and Sophie-Anne. You won't get in trouble, all right? You just have to listen to us and we can save the boy."

Save him? Save him. They wanted to save him from what he wanted. They want to take everything away, just like they took everything from her. Poor Chuck. Poor Chuck...

"If you go on like this, he'll die." Nate wasn't his best friend. No, Chuck didn't have any friends. He didn't have any-

It grew cold as a gust of wind blew in through the windows. The curtains flew and sent the shadows dancing along the walls. Chuck began to shiver and she held him closer. She knew it was only a matter of time before he showed up. She hated him for that. She could smell him before he even stepped in, drenched in blood with his skin stained red. "We're going home, Blair. Let the boy go."

She buried her face in Chuck's hair and breathed him in. His body was so warm. "Go away." She felt a hand that resembled steel wrap around her wrists and pull them apart and all she could do was shake her head from side to side. "No. No! Leave us alone!" She kicked and pulled and yelled, but the more she fought, the harder he held her and when she felt Chuck ripped from her arms and hurried away, she lunged for him with a strange sense of desperation. How did it get to this? She didn't need Chuck anymore. She didn't feel anything because she's a monster - a killer!

"You and I are going to have a nice long talk." She never hated Eric Northman more than she did now. Her maker held her tight against him and even as she felt the call, even as she wanted him to just hold her and make the world go away, she wanted to rip his eyes out. Instead, she grew quiet, her breath harsh as she finally gave up and, sensing her surrender, Eric let her go to stand silently by the window.

The room had emptied and it was just the ones who were deemed 'safe.' Bill, Blair, and Eric. Bill saw the look in her eyes and, for once, was concerned for his boss. "I hate you," she growled. "You made me like this. I hate you!"

Her fists collided against his chest when she flew at him and they fell back onto the bed. She wanted to feel his bones crack and crush his organs the way he crushed her every time he passed her over. Every time he left her alone with just Pam for company while he went gallivanting off with his stupid psychic. She wanted to take everything away from him the way she sucked the life out of Chuck Bass, who was nothing but a boy who loved her and didn't know how. He stole everything.

"Are you quite finished?"

"Stop it! Stop acting like you're so much better than me! Stop treating me like I'm your child and obligation!" She wanted to shake some sense into him and just as she got a hold of his shoulders, Bill had her by the wrists and pulled her off him. "Let go of me! You don't own me, none of you do! You don't own me and you don't love me!" Her throat was hoarse from screaming and even as she went limp in Bill's arms, her body began to shake with sobs.

"Leave us, Compton."

"Eric, are you sure? I mean, she-"

"Leave us. It's an order." She crumpled to a pile on the carpeted floor when Bill let go and didn't move when he petted her on the head before leaving the room. "I've had enough of your dramatics, Blair."

"I've had enough of _you_." She wiped the tear trails from her cheeks and plopped herself down in a chair facing the window. "No matter, I'll wait. Damon will come for me and I'll never have to see you again!"

"I really don't think he is, Blair. I think your time with him is through."

"You're lying. He loves me. He'll come for me." She kept her eyes on the moon, waiting. She knew how he liked to make his entrances.

Eric walked up beside her and dropped to small objects on the side table. "You won't be seeing him again." She turned her glare from his face to the white in front of her. She had to stop herself from choking on the cry at her throat. "Now, Blair, I did this-"

To his surprise after her initial shock, she began chuckle. Her head shook as the sound bounced off the walls. "You're even more of a monster than I thought." She picked up one of the two fangs Eric had plucked from her companion. "That won't stop him though. You know it won't. He loves me."

"He's obsessed with you. There's a difference."

"Is there? Either way, he'll come back. See, you don't know this because you don't know what that word even means, do you? Wait, no, you would go back for that little blond whore, wouldn't you?" She stood and grabbed h a coat from the bureau. "I'm going to look for him and you can't stop me."

He had her pinned to the bed before she could even take a step. "You want to bet on that Blair? Bet against a thousand years of experience as a vampire? Because let me tell you, your precious Damon tried that too and things didn't really end well for him."

She stopped struggling, her eyes wide and disbelieving. "You didn't kill him. You couldn't have. You-" Her breath came fast and hard. "Why are you doing this? Why can't you ever just leave me alone?"

He brushed her hair back away from her face, eyes pained at the way she always fought to get away from him. What had he done that was so terrible? "I'll never leave you alone, remember? I promised you."

"But you did!" She cried, tears renewed at the news of her friend. The wound laid bare again and it stung her deep. "You did leave me alone and now you want to take away everyone who loves me! Chuck, Damon! Why are you doing this?"

"Because _I _love you, all right? _I_ do!" He gripped her wrists and forced her to look at him, finally look past all the other boys and back at him. "No one will ever love you the way I do. I won't let them." He kissed her knuckles, hoping it could get past all the hurt and betrayal and lies that were never a problem until they came up north. "Now please, just come home with me and we can sort things out. It's you and me, love, remember?"

She sniffed, her eyes clear for the first time in a while. "Don't say things you don't mean. I believed it before. I won't ever again."

"So you'll live in your own little house of lies?" He sighed heavily and let her up. "Whether you want to or not, you're coming back with me. You've caused enough trouble as it is, even if that Chuck boy lives and that is a big 'if'."

"Can he come with-"

"No."

She chewed her lip and looked the window. The blood was on her hands, she knew that. "I want to see him."

"That's not going to happen, Blair." She never could take rejection lightly and her glare shot right through him. "He doesn't want to see you. Not when he's... not like this."

"And whose fault is that?" She turned back to the window. He was out there somewhere. "I won't go until I've seen that he's all right. You would have to kill me."

"What kind of hold does he have on you?"

She looked down wistfully, recalling the way the vampire used to look at her. She was the center of someone's world, just like she had always wanted. It was a bitter chuckle. Eric would never understand, as much as he wished it. "I have to see him."

"You have my word that he's all right."

"Your word doesn't mean much anymore."

* * *

He was cowering in the corner, his form hunched over and covered with the very substance they live on. "Damon?" She spoke quietly into the dark as if she were speaking to a frightened child. "It's me, it's okay."

"Don't come any closer." His eyes grew bright under the moon, a haunting ice blue against the dark, dark red. "You should go." His voice was raspy and deep, as though he had exhausted all of its energy in an excruciating scream. "Run back to daddy."

He never turned her away before and she felt the ground slip away from under her. The one person who had wanted her unconditionally was pushing her away. "Damon, I'm so sorry. I didn't know this would happen."

"I don't need you to be sorry." He coughed, a hand covering the broad of his chest. "I need you to leave."

"You need help. I can ask Eric or Bill if they know-"

He cut her off with a laugh, a bitter laugh that had him sitting back with his head against the wall, revealing the blood down the front of his shirt. "I really doubt lover-boy is going to want to help. Right, sheriff?" He looked past her at Eric, standing guard at the end of the hall. She knelt down in front of him, careful of his temper and looking every bit like the repentant stray. "You're really fucking gorgeous, you know that?" He reached out a hand to stroke her face, but let it drop midway. "Don't worry too much, love. I'll be back for you when the time's right. Leave now and I'll come back."

She looked back at Eric and she could tell he was listening even if his eyes were set on a spot of carpet. Damon's hand shook when she held it in hers and she knew at once that this, according to vampire law, was mercy. If they had been properly tried for the destruction they caused, she wasn't sure that he would live through it. She touched her forehead to his and breathed a sigh of relief. Somewhere along the way, her kidnapper had become important to her. "Take care of yourself first, Damon. That's the important thing."

"Don't you mind me. I've been around much longer than you have."

"Yea? And how many of your old vampire friends are still around?" She kissed his knuckles as he glared at her. She knew they had been careless this whole time and for a while, when she wanted to forget everything, it was fine. That's how vampires get caught though, and that's how they get persecuted. She couldn't let that happen. It was painful to imagine a world without Damon Salvatore lurking in the background, even miles away.

"I still have you." It seemed, for a loner, she had become important to him as well. "Don't I?" He was better without her. "_Don't I?_" He turned his hands to grip hers now, as though she were a life raft.

She pulled her hands away, it had to be a clean break or else she would never go. "Go find your brother. He'll take care of you." Her eyes stayed on his hair as she smoothed it down. Blair couldn't bear to look at the face that undoubtedly mirrored the expression she wore whenever she was left behind. She hated that face. "It's for your own good." With her, he was careless. Carefree, even, and vampires weren't allowed that luxury. She chewed her lower lip - she both wanted and dreaded him to hate her and forget. "I still-"

"Just go." He threw her hands back at her. "Get out of here."

"Will you-"

"I'll be fine. Just leave."

She blinked and her lips quivered. "Be careful now."

She turned and never looked back. Eric followed her after she walked right past him and, in a low voice, said "I'll have someone find his brother and let him know." She needed that much.


	14. Free

A/N: Sorry that this took soooo long without it being super long, but here it is, the last of it! I hope you guys like it! I always have trouble with endings – both writing and reading them.

The Runaway

Chapter 14: Free

They sat in absolute silence and avoided each other's gazes. Even the southern blonde learned to shut her mouth. There was too much to think about and not even words to even begin to make sense of everything. The blood on her hands, it seemed, were never going to wash off. Bill looked at her like he was ready to protect Sookie and at any moment, which was fine. Logical. But Sookie Stackhouse had those damned pitying puppy dog eyes pinned on her and that, above all else, forced her gaze out the window.

Eric slid open the door to their train compartment and gave a dismissive nod. The other two filed out as he took a seat beside her. Her body shrunk away from his and she hugged her knees to her chest. "Chuck Bass is going to live." The cell phone clattered onto the table.

Her shuddering breath left a ghost of silence in the car. It was strange, the two of them. Upon reflection, they never did speak much, did they? There was an occasional tease here and there, but words between them were minimal at best. Still, there was always that look. Her eyes deep and penetrating when he came home late from Fangtasia and his territorial and adoring when she greeted him silently at the door. She would do his books for him, and he would leave a carefully warm bottle of Tru Blood on her desk. He would tear through walls just for a glimpse of her. Even now. _Especially_ now...

His hand faltered when he reached out to brush a strand of hair behind her ear. He wasn't the hero, never was. He left that to the pansies. She was never one for heroes anyway. She wanted them, but she was no damsel in distress.

She peeked up at him, her eyes wavering and her lips mumbled repeatedly. "He's alive. He's alive. He's alive..."

"Yes, he's going to make it."

The corner of her lips drew down and the tears spilled down her cheeks. "He must hate me now. They all must..." She remembered the way Serena had trusted her enough to let her feed and now...

Now she was a monster.

His arms were clumsy as they wrapped around her shaking shoulder and he brought her into his lap and kissed her temple. He had seen this guilt from falling off the wagon too many times and he couldn't let this happen to her. "They don't hate you."

"How could they not?" She wailed softly.

"If they did, they wouldn't care about letting you know. They know you made a mistake and that you're sorry."

"Don't lie. I know you called them, not the other way around." Still, she buried her face into his shirt and there was a tiny part of him, the part free from guilt, that took pleasure in it.

"You could call them if you don't believe me." He picked the cell phone up and held it right before her face. She turned herself away from facing him, but still buried her back further into him. "Then just trust me. I wouldn't lie to you."

Blair sighed and stared at her ghostly reflection in the window, translucent against the blurred landscape. Minutes disguised as hours passed with her head rocking back against Eric's chest along with the lull of the train. "I'll never get over this. I'll never forgive myself," she murmured finally.

He kissed her forehead and he knew she would. They all did. Time did amazing things. In time, she would forgive him too for all of it. She just had to. "You'll learn to forget this when we get home. It'll be as if nothing ever happened"

"This wasn't _nothing."_

Eric sighed, she was still young. "Forever is a very long time." She sniffed and turned away. He didn't used to believe it either.

* * *

Blair stood in front of her bed, neatly made and dust-free. The past few weeks felt like a lifetime and she could hardly remember her life here... Was she happy? Cheerful? Depressed?

The only thing she could remember was the loneliness. The staying up late and the questions. Where was he? Who was he with? There were little sparks in her memory - the feeling of his arms around her bare torso still fresh as spring. His fangs brushing lightly against the back of her neck, worrying her lips. But that's all they were. Sparks. They didn't have a story. They never would.

And then there was Damon, the hundred year old vampire boy with whom she had... an adventure. Nothing glamorous or heroic, of course. People won't write stories or novels with spin off tv-shows about them. In fact, they were the pretty standard Anne Rice vamp story of debauchery and indulgence, roaming the city in the night. It was cliched, but it was something. And he loved her, she was certain. But how could he love her now, when doing so had cost him so much?

So now she had nobody. Nothing but a made bed and a shameful, failed attempt at freedom. She looked out the window, feeling the sun slowly creeping its way above the horizon and shrinking back as the rays crept in. The weight of eternity fell on her like a thousand, a million suns and she yanked the curtains shut, burning the very tip of her pinky in the process.

Everything was too much now. And it was all nothing.

* * *

He gave her two months. Every vampire went through this - the doubt, the realization, even if it's all a little delayed. Even if Eric wanted to believe that some being other than God had created her just so he could turn her into his, it was foolish.

She was fed in a mug that Pam left in front of her door every night. He tried hiding around the corner, peeping just to catch a glimpse of her to prove that she was real, but she always knew. She could leave whenever she wanted (and he had dreaded the possibility of finding the house empty every time he left for Fangtasia), but still she saw him as her jailer. The truth was, he was tempted to bash his shoulder through that door himself.

Her voice was so faint he could hardly hear her above the clinking glasses.

"I'm stuck," she whispered and she sidled up to his throne. Her legs were two pale sticks beneath her white summer dress. All of her was doused in the colors of the lights dancing on her canvas.

She looked so lost that for a quick second, he felt sorry that he had turned her without a thought of this moment when she finally realized the extent of what she was asking. Then he remembered he was a selfish bastard and would rather have her than not. He offered a hand, a little nervous that it may linger there, ignored. When she slipped hers in, he pulled her onto his lap, his other hand entangled in her hair. "We all are. Forever."

"What do I do now?" She buried her face in his neck like she used to when she was still shiny and new. Just as before, her moving lips sent tiny, delightful (very Blair-like) shivers across his skin cells.

He didn't have the answers. "You'll see him again. You have all of eternity." The vampire whose fangs she now wore around her neck on a string. "And you have me." He brought her hand up for a kiss.

They sat and observed the circus show of Fangtasia - the absurd crowd and noise. The admirers at their feet and food just within reach. She shifted so that her body wasn't completely pressed against his and whispered so the idea took form before her. "I think I should move out."

"Blair-"

"I'm not skipping town again." Her eyes glowed against a flash of yellow light. "But I can't just be your pet or your child either. Not anymore."

The remainder of the night was spent in each others arms, his hand stroking the head that once knew nothing of what it truly meant to be one of them.

The beginning of eternity was over. All she had to do now was face the rest of it, and her pride - that famous Waldorf trait, would never let her do it by relying completely on others. She wasn't heroine or even remotely close to the good side - not even by light years - but she would be _Blair Waldorf_ once again.

And she would be worthy to pass the never ending time of forever with a viking warrior.

A/N: That's all, folks! Thanks for hanging on for as long as you guys did despite my update shenanigans. The end didn't really turn out the way I first imagined it, but I actually think that I like it better than a vanilla happy ending with sex-scene-syrup drizzled on top. I wanted things to be a bit more natural and hopefully/maybe it worked out. Thanks again for all the encouragement, guys. It really makes me feel a little less crazy :)

(Yes, the ending is open-ended. No, I have no idea what/if I will do anything with it.)


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